You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
Matthew 5:8 KJV
8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
I like how the Message translation explains pure in heart as when your get your heart and mind put right. I'm convinced that God is all around us and that His footprints are everywhere; it's just that I so frequently miss it. Sometimes I'm so filled with me, my goals, my to-do list, my plans that I miss Him.
Other scriptures parallel to Matthew 5:8
Psalm 17:15
(NLT)
Because I am righteous, I will see you.
When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
(The Message)
And me? I plan on looking
you full in the face. When I get up,
I'll see your full stature
and live heaven on earth.
Again we get that same connection between righteousness/purity and seeing God's face. But I know I can never get good enough on my own to counted worthy of seeing God
So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.
So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching
This same word that's used for "pure" in pure of heart is also used here. It's always that thing in Christianity - the position and the actual day to day. Positionally I am pure, yet how do I actually live my life daily? How does this position of purity affect me? I know that when I'm feeling ashamed I act more shameful; I remove myself from God and others. The word tells me that I do not need to ever feel ashamed again; that Jesus has made me clean! Yet this activity referred to above of "let's get a firm grip on the promises that keep us going" sounds like it involves action on my part. Action to find those promises in the bible, action to get a grip on them by knowing them intimately and choosing to believe them whatever I might see. I think that phrase here about let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out is delightful.
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
What others say about this passage:
John Wesley:
"The pure in heart - The sanctified: they who love God with all their hearts. They shall see God - In all things here; hereafter in glory."
He's also pointing to how it's Jesus who makes us pure. But then he goes on to infer that we will be filled with love for God because of what He's done for us and as we love Him more we see more of Him.
Matthew Henry:
" The pure in heart are happy; for they shall see God. Here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for God. Create in me such a clean heart, O God. None but the pure are capable of seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon his purity"
I especially like what he says about the heart must be purified by faith and kept for God. Every day I have choices about where I will give my heart - may I always keep it for God. May trust in Him and His work and His word be paramount in my life each day.
John Gill
"Blessed are the pure in heart,.... Not in the head; for men may have pure notions and impure hearts; not in the hand, or action, or in outward conversation only; so the Pharisees were outwardly righteous before men, but inwardly full of impurity; but "in heart." The heart of man is naturally unclean; nor is it in the power of man to make it clean, or to be pure from his sin; nor is any man in this life, in such sense, so pure in heart, as to be entirely free from sin. This is only true of Christ, angels, and glorified saints: but such may be said to be so, who, though they have sin dwelling in them, are justified from all sin, by the righteousness of Christ, and are "clean through the word," or sentence of justification pronounced upon them, on the account of that righteousness; whose iniquities are all of them forgiven, and whose hearts are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, which cleanses from all sin; and who have the grace of God wrought in their hearts, which, though as yet imperfect, it is entirely pure; there is not the least spot or stain of sin in it: and such souls as they are in love with, so they most earnestly desire after more purity of heart, lip, life, and conversation. And happy they are, for they shall see God; in this life, enjoying communion with him, both in private and public, in the several duties of religion, in the house and ordinances of God; where they often behold his beauty, see his power and his glory, and taste, and know, that he is good and gracious: and in the other world, where they shall see God in Christ, with the eyes of their understanding; and God incarnate, with the eyes of their bodies, after the resurrection; which sight of Christ, and God in Christ, will be unspeakably glorious, desirable, delightful, and satisfying; it will be free from all darkness and error, and from all interruption; it will be an appropriating and transforming one, and will last for ever."
John Gill does an excellent job here at explaining that balance of how we are only holy through Jesus' work and yet, because of what Jesus did, we allow God to work in our hearts to change us. As He changes us, more and more we can see Him. Oh what a joy it is to see glimpses of God!
As I think on all this my heart overflows with gratitude to God for giving Jesus to die in my place, for making me clean. I'm encouraged to think on His goodness daily, to seek to get a grip on His promises and cling to them (vrs to the trials before me) daily. To look for God all around me!
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment