Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. –Matthew 5:8
In order to best understand pure in heart, I think I needed to set a baseline to work from. For me this was explained in one commentary as, “purity of heart is a work in progress in which both God and man share responsibility”. They also stated that “We will never be pure as God is pure in this life. Our purity is at best only in part.” So to best understand pure in heart we need to understand that Gods definition of purity is a lofty goal. The process by which we get there is the key to being pure in heart.
I once heard Mark Driscoll discuss this process as two pedals on a bicycle. God initiates things in our lives by pushing one pedal, our response is to accept the change and push the pedal down on our side. God initiates, we respond. God initiates, we respond. The day-to-day sinful nature challenges even the strongest Christians to sustain their purity. It is through the process of God initiating and us responding that we can cleanse our hearts to be pure. It is not an easy process, but one which must be followed.
I close with these questions from one of my resources. It is a process of self-examination regarding being pure in heart.
1. Are our work and service done from selfless motives or from a desire for self-display?
2. Is our church-going a sincere attempt to meet God or merely fulfilling a respectable habit?
3. Are our prayers and Bible study a heartfelt desire to commune with God, or do we pursue them because they make us feel pleasantly superior?
4. Is our life lived with a conscious need of God, or are we merely seeking comfort in our piety?
Coming Thursday: Peacemakers
