Purifying Our Hearts
Purifying Our Hearts
Did you miss me? Did you even notice I was gone? When I first began to post my blog, I would wonder if anyone would notice if I stopped blogging. I wondered if anyone ever even read a single post. Then I realized those thoughts were all about me. God did not call me to write so that I would be praised for my posts or gain some kind of recognition. However, God is a good and loving God, so He occasionally sends someone - who I never imagined knew that I blogged – to let me know that I am to continue. So, here I am still writing, still posting. However, I did take a 2-week hiatus – a week with my man, a week with my family – but today I am ready to get back to our study of the Beatitudes. I hope you are as well.
Let’s catch up. Do you remember where we started? Well, let me share what led us here. I have read the Beatitudes countless times. I have heard sermons about the Sermon on the Mount and written notes in the margin of my Bible. However, earlier this year God gave me this passage and pressed upon my heart that this – this passage – is what I have been seeking for years. I have stood before Him and declared, “God! Yes!!! I just want to be who You created me to be, to do what you would have me to do, whatever it is God, I say YES!” I have pleaded for a note to float down from heaven with specific instructions for me. But… we already have that, don’t we? God gave us His written word as a love letter with specific instructions for each of us. He gave us the Living Word – Jesus – as our example of who it is we are to become. And Jesus sat on the Mount of Beatitudes and He taught His disciples this way of life they were to live. This sermon is for us, us who love Jesus with all of our heart and seek to live the life God is calling us to live.
(You can catch up with us by reading Matthew 5:1-14 and the blog posts from October 11, 18, 24, November 1 and 8.)
So today, we are on Matthew 5:8…
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Pure in heart – blessed are the pure in heart – who are the pure in heart? Is our heart pure? As Jesus sat on the side of that mountain and taught His disciples, He told them who it was they were to become…
· poor in spirit – like a beggar on our knees asking God to fill our cup because He is the only One who can supply our needs (verse 3)
· grieved by our own sin because it grieves the heart of God and tenderhearted toward others the same way God is tenderhearted to us (verse 4)
· meek – surrendered to the authority of God and His will for our life (verse 5)
· one who hungers and thirsts for His righteousness continually (verse 6)
· merciful – no longer judgmental, condemning or arrogant (verse 7)
and now – He adds
· pure in heart (verse 8)
Pure in heart means no longer operating according to our sinful thought patterns, false hopes and destructive desires. We are to be purified, renewed and made – oh, here it comes, that really big intimidating and overwhelming word – holy. Yes, holy. In 1 Peter 1:16 Jesus says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Remember we have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. We are to be set apart, different from those who do not know the Savior. We are to be different in our thought life, driven by a different motivation and becoming more and more like Jesus. Those who are pure in heart do not harbor resentment, hard feelings and seek what is best for themselves. They are not self-centered, prideful and filled with selfish ambition. Instead, they love others, care, share, give, and seek to glorify God through walking in obedience to Him – just as Jesus did.
Becoming pure in heart – holy - is impossible for us on our own. However, when we invited Jesus into our hearts and surrendered our all to Him, we were gifted the Holy Spirit who resides in us and helps us by revealing our sin, guiding us and prompting us. He is our purification system. We can only gain sensitivity to Him by spending time in the word and in prayer. We need more of that – more time in the word, more time in prayer.
Whew! This is a big one and has my heart hurting. Today, we can curl up in our Father’s lap, ask Him to forgive us and to help us. Purify our hearts, Lord, washing away all of the dark areas of our heart and help us to love you so much that our hearts desire is to be rid of our self and instead filled up by You with You. May our words and our actions reveal our love for You. May others look at us, but see You, feel Your love, and gain a desire to know You more! Just like my writing is not about me, help us to remember that our lives are not about us – not about being happy, not about gaining titles and possessions, not about making ourselves known. Instead our lives are all about You, walking in obedience to You, loving and serving like You and making You known to a lost and dying world.
Let’s pray for one another today.
Join us on this Journey to Live the Abundant Life
We need each other. Let’s encourage one another as we learn to take steps closer to our Savior!
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