Daily Devotional

Friday, August 20, 2010

“Blessed are the pure in heart,

  for they shall see God.

So, let’s explore what it is to have a pure heart. Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.” A pure heart is a heart that has nothing to do with falsehood. It is painstakingly truthful and free from deceitfulness. Deceit is what you do when you will two things, not one thing.

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.”  James: 4:4 explains what it means to have a double mind, “Unfaithful creatures [literally: adulteresses]! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” So the double-minded man of verse 8 has his heart divided between the world and God, like a wife who has a husband and a boyfriend. Purity of heart on the other hand is to will one thing, namely, full and total allegiance to God.

Finally, Jesus, in Matthew 22:37 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

Purity of heart is to will one thing, namely, God's truth and God's value in everything we do. The aim of the pure heart is to align itself with the truth of God and magnify the worth of God. If you want to be pure in heart, pursue God with utter single-mindedness. Purity of heart is to will that one thing.

Prayer:

Lord, create in me a pure heart. I desire to be of one mind, completely concern with your will for my life, Lord. Help me to better love you with all of my heart.