We have now entered the season of Lent. For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words. ✞ ♥
During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes. Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.” To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’ Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are! Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥
Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us. We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection! ✞ ♥
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8
At first, this Beatitude appears to be referring to those who are morally clean—those who don’t defile themselves with impure thoughts, or anger, or other internal sins that wreak havoc on one’s life, and which can make a Christian ineffective. This is certainly an aspect of “pure” or “clean.” And if we understand the phrase “see God” in the sense of being in God’s Presence and being able to commune with Him, then certainly, the less sin there is in our lives, the more we are aware of the abiding Presence of God. It is more often the case that God seems most distant from us when, in fact, we are distant from Him as a result of an impure and hard heart.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,” David cried out in Psalm 51, “And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This thought of having a “steadfast” spirit, one that is devoted to God, may also be in mind here. David wrote this psalm on the heels of his sin with Bathsheba, which was indeed one of the most dramatic and deep moral failures of a man of God in Scripture. Not only does David want a clean heart, but he wants steadfastness…the ability to focus on God…to lean on Him at all times, and not be distracted by the temptations of the world.
The Greek translation of Psalm 24 (please check it) uses the same phrase, “pure in heart.” Here I think we get further insight into the meaning of this term. Notice that the one with clean hands and a pure heart avoids falsehood and deceit. There is a sense, then, that being pure in heart is more than just avoiding sin. Rather, it is being devoted to God, and having a life that is His, and that is recognizable as being His. It is about serving only one Master, not two, and drawing near to God. The words of James echo this thought:
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:7-8 NASB
What does Jesus mean, then, when He says that the pure in heart “shall see God.” Wasn’t Moses told that no one could see God and live (Exodus 33:20)? First, I think there is a present reality to seeing God here, in the sense that those who are pure in heart draw near to God, as James says, and in turn God draws near to them. But I think there is also a future reality, looking forward to the time when ALL those who have endured this fallen world, who come out the other side beaten and bruised but, by the grace of God, have pure hearts, solely dedicated to God’s word and will, shall indeed stand before His throne and, in a sinless state (on account of the work of Christ), and see Him face to face.
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Dear Father, we thank You for the opportunity to see You face-to-face through the Holy Spirit. Create in us a clean heart, O Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
