"Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God."
Matthew 5:8
In my Bible, on this page, I have written above this section, "He sees me, but will I see Him?" I must confess that in my flesh, I am certainly NOT pure in heart. I am a human being, and that means that I am incapable of purity, as I was born... I was conceived into sin, with a sin nature, by parents under that same nature, in a world rampant with the same sin and more. My thoughts and intentions of the heart have aided me in violating all ten of the Ten Commandments on multiple occasions, and not once have I been able to say for any sustained period of time that I am "pure in heart." And there are countless reasons that the omnipotence and omnipresence of the Father make me quite nervous. Is it just me?
Oddly, also referring to this page in my Bible, of the Beatitudes, this is the first one I have underlined. The others have notes beside them, but this one is singled out, underlined and highlighted, because this one gives me pause. And if we're all truly honest, I would bet that it should make everyone shudder a little. The notion of a "pure heart" in a human being is simply not possible, because we all are jealous, power-hungry, advancement-minded, selfish beings who tend to follow that one rule that is nowhere in the teachings of Christ, "God helps those who help themselves." (Yeah, for all of you who live by that one, it's time to let it go [including me], because it is NOT a Biblical attitude or principle.)
But here's the best part of this particular portion of the Beatitudes... have you ever prayed the "Sinner's Prayer?" You know, the one where you ask Jesus to "live in my heart?" I have, and I'm fairly certain you have, too. And guess what happened when you and I, broken and humbled before the Lord, sought redemption and forgiveness in the Name above all names? He moved in, set up shop, and made us PURE! Let me be clear, though, in that we are not pure beings, but we are purified through Him. To say that another way: He didn't make us perfect and inerrant, but He stands in the way when the Father looks at us, and therefore, as God looks upon Him and His sacrifice to save and purify and redeem and reconcile us, we are MADE PURE through the Crucifixion.
It's the same as the age old argument of whether or not a person can be holy. God charges us to be holy, and if you ask random people, they would probably refer to holy as an attribute acquainted with stoicism. They would say that people in long flowing robes who speak in Latin and never smile and never have fun are holy. But the truth is that if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, you have been MADE holy by Him and His presence in your life. You are set apart to the Lord, from the moment you confess that Jesus saves.
It is with this level of backing that I encourage you today, in that if you are a Christian, and you are a Christ follower, and saved by His Name, then you are made pure in heart, and you will see God. Better still, you will not have to wait to get to Heaven to see Him, because the purity that is blessed into you allows you insight into the movement of the Creator and the Spirit right now. You notice and discern wisdom and miracles and blessings for what they are... good and perfect gifts from above! You recognize love, just as it should be recognized. You see sin for the evil and cancerous beast that it truly is, rather than just assuming it's "not that bad," or "just this once." He sees you... and through Christ, you see Him.
God bless you all!!!
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