DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Matthew 5:8

Pure in heart; how does one obtain a pure heart? When we are conceived and born into this world, even then we do not have a pure heart (Psalm 58:3). Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:8 that we are blessed, living in a state of inward bliss, inward happiness which is neither the result of circumstance nor subject to change on the basis of circumstance, when we have a pure heart. Moreover, we will see God. “Pure in heart” does not mean perfection as most people define “perfect.”  The dictionary definition of perfect is flawless; completely free from faults and defects. Some think of it as lacking no essential detail. But…is that what Jesus is saying? We get our English word, “catharsis” from this Greek word translated “pure.” It means to cleanse. That is how this word is used in Acts 15:9. There it says believers’ hearts have been cleansed by the Holy Spirit when they believed. In this verse, faith is the channel, the hose of the pressure washer through which the cleansing Holy Spirit moves in a believer’s life to bring spiritual cleansing and renewal (Titus 3:5).

A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, “What do you put on your face to make it shine?” With surprise the man of God answered, “I don’t put anything on it!” His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, “Yes, you do! All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I’ve seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay.” Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, “Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It’s not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It’s the reflection of the light of God in our hearts” (M. Lloyd-Jones).

A pure heart, a transformed core of your being, a cleansed heart brings peace with God (Romans 5:1); pleasantness in life (Psalm 24:3-6); and preparation for death (Psalm 17:15; Phil. 1:21). Do you have a pure heart? Don’t leave home without it.

Ike Graham