S19P6 – The beatitudes: the pure heart’s aim

Matt: 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Seeing God is the great desire of those who follow him, for that vision is the fulfillment of the hope we have. Today we believe in that which we do not see, but one day that faith will be solidified and substantiated in a real view of God’s face before us. To get there, we must purify our hearts. This surely begs the question of how one makes the heart pure. While some may think that this is achieved through sweat and toil, effort upon effort to be good and holy, the scriptures tell us otherwise. The purification of one’s heart is rooted not in effort but in faith.

A number of scriptures give us a sort of outline to the process of purifying the heart. This process is not completed by man but is accomplished by the work of God himself [Psalm 51:10]. As we put our hope in Jesus Christ, we become pure as He is pure [1 John 3:3]. Our hearts are purified as we call on God with sincere repentance [2 Tim. 2:22], obey his commands [1 Pet. 1:22] and lift up our souls only to that which is true [Psalm 24:3-4]. Sincere faith goes hand-in-hand with a pure heart [1 Tim. 1:5]. It is by our faith in God, and that which He produces in us as we commit ourselves to him, that our hearts are made pure [Acts 15:9].

A clear indication of a pure heart is the desire to see God face to face. This desire does not come from a self-serving or self-saving place. It comes from a place of truly desiring to fellowship with the Father and stand in his awesome glory. The pure heart desires nothing more than to be with God because of who He is. The pure heart’s aim is glorifying the Father and fulfilling his will. Father, grow in us the earnest desire to see your face, the honest desire to obey your commands and the humble desire to fulfill your will, so that our hearts may be pure as your Son’s heart is pure.