Blessed are the Pure in Heart...

Matthew 5:3-10

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

As we can see from this beatitude, Jesus was very much concerned with our hearts. Jesus came to this world not to save clean hearts, but those that were dirty that needed to be purified. God wants to see us all with pure hearts. He cares most about who we are in the most private areas of our lives.

Matthew 12:33-34 says:

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Jesus is looking to purity us. Although people can’t see the deepest parts of hearts, they can get an idea of what lies there by the way we speak. It’s clear in this verse. If in our hearts we are pleasing God, people will see it in the way we conduct ourselves and speak to one another. If the opposite is true and we are not seeking to please God, people will also be able to tell by the way we speak.

1 Samuel 16:7b says:

"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

No one but God really knows who you are. The heart is who you are. Your deepest thoughts and feelings are only revealed and known unto God there (whether you want Him to know or not). Who you are invisibly to people matters just as much to God as the person people can see. He wants your heart to be pure and dedicated to Him so what pours out of your mouth when you speak to anyone is pleasing to Him. Humans don’t have the ability to look deeper then the surface of a person’s heart. God does though and knows when our hearts aren’t pleasing to Him.

The Bible says that if we are pure in heart, we will see Him. What does that mean? I read a really good example about that a while ago. It said that to see God, we must be admitted into His presence. The only way to do that is by knowing Him and seeking Him. When we call a doctor’s office and say “Can I see Dr. Johnson today?” we don’t want to see him from a distance or even a photograph of him; we want an appointment with him. It’s the same with God. Knowing God is seeing Him and to know Him, we must spend time with Him. He will reveal himself to us when we show interest in Him. That doesn’t mean He’ll come before us physically, but He will show us His Person and His character and who He is. :)

Being pure in heart means to stay away from all forms of deceitfulness. It means being truthful and free from any form of malice. In deceitfulness, you want to do one thing, but instead, you feel like doing another. That is one form of impurity. God wants to cleanse us from that and make us desire and do one thing. Although there is room for much growth, purity of heart is to will one thing which is to seek the Lord wholeheartedly.

Matthew 22:37 says:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

We shouldn’t love God with only part of our hearts for that would be impurity. Purity of heart is to will one thing and that’s the ways of the Lord. The pure heart is constantly seeking to align itself with the truth of God. To be pure in heart, we must pursue God with our whole hearts, leaving room for anything else that might hinder us from His will.

Any thoughts on the subject? Maybe more ways of how to be pure in heart? I’d love to hear your thoughts. :)

~Sophie