This weeks beatitude; Matthew 5:8 is a real pain. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
We live in an age that seems to applaud the naughty side of behavior. I remember when I lived in LaCrosse there was even a store named "Naughty But Nice." Yes, you might agree, naughty is the new nice and purity and cleanliness are the new pain.
Talk about a challenge; purity of thoughts and deeds and a morally clean existence. We might want to skip this verse and move on to easier claims on our lives. BUT God does not work that way. In fact, if we want to "see" God we know what we need to do..."Blessed are the pure in heart....."
"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world." (The Message)
"God blesses those people whose hearts are pure.They will see him!" (Contemporary English Version)
"They are blessed whose thoughts are pure, for they will see God." (New Century Version)
Our beatitude this week calls us clearly to live as cleanly and with as much purity as humanly possible. Having a pure heart first of all means living by the rules of God that bring moral purity. The initial use of the word “pure” in the Bible was in the sense of “clean” as opposed to “unclean” – clean or unclean animals, clean or unclean foods, the clean or unclean condition of a person.
What do you think the basis was for determining what (or who) was “clean” or “unclean”? It was God’s decision. Since God is the Creator and the Source of everything good and loving, God gets to decide. The Good News is, right standards for behavior are not kept a secret by God. Thus the writings of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
Check Out This 5 Minute Audio Bible Study on Matthew 5:8
There are ways we can maintain the purity of our heart, and one of the most primary is our time in the Word of God. As the psalmist said, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9), and, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
A second way to maintain the purity of our heart is through fellowship with the people of God. It helps to be accountable to one another. Solomon said:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
We have two ways to fulfill our beatitude this week:
- Fellowship with God
- Fellowship with each other
Matthew 5:1-10 Stunning slides of the Beatitudes 2':27"
May you get as close to God as you can this week. Look for God and you will see God.
Blessings,
Rev. Bill McBride
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