Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8)
INTRODUCTION
Jesus never seemed to be impressed with external ceremonies no matter how elaborate, commendable or religious they appeared. It’s as if He consistently placed emphasis on the heart. He seemed to reiterate over and over again that the root of our sinfulness is not necessarily our actions, but rather in the motives that inspire or accompany them. (Mark 7:21-22, Luke 11:38 – 39, and Matt. 15:18-20). It therefore goes without saying that everything we do or say originates from the heart. So in the sight of God, the value of our deeds and our words is measured by the state of our hearts.
Unmasking the Heart
- The heart of every man is where truth resides – the truth about who he really is, and the truth about where he stands with God ( 27:19). Your heart is the site of an accumulation of prejudices, experiences, priorities and wants, as well as the thought patterns from your past and your present. And the state of your heart is a reflection of which of these accumulated elements has dominance in your life. These can be purged or re-aligned into their proper perspectives not through our own sheer will or effort, but through the work of the Holy Spirit and by the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:13 and Heb. 9:14).
- The heart filled with pride and unrepentance takes offense at the word of God. This is because God’s word has revelatory power that is able to dredge up all the ugliness and filthiness inside of us and bring it to the surface (Heb. 4:12).In this way we are confronted with who we really are and the façade of ignorance that we so readily embrace for cover immediately crumbles, leaving us to face the truth for what it is.
- The heart that is replete with obscenity, filthiness and the darkness thereof, cowers at anything that even remotely recognizes or hints at the authority of God. This heart is continually on the run from God because His holiness is a source of perpetual torment and sheer torture to its state. (Lk 8:28 and Matt. 8:29).
- The heart that is consumed with unforgiveness and resentment of any sort is denied the privilege and joy of true worship. It longs for, but is unable to attain full access into God’s presence because of the principle of Ps. 15: 2b-3. It sounds simple but it isn’t so in practice because anyone who wants to come to God in truth must first let go of everything else in order that He may be the focal point. This point applies more strongly than ever when we come to Him to worship. He will not accept a divided heart; He will not extend His love to the heart that refuses to love or forgive another. He will only embrace the one who comes to Him telling the story as it is and trusting Him to deal with the bruises and the hurts that have been encountered. And until you get to that point, you will not find Him because He will not meet with you.
- The heart filled with anger is usually accompanied by ingratitude. It finds no place to praise God. All it seeks to do is to confront God on what it thinks He did not do or what it thinks He should have done (Jonah 4:1-4, and 9), given the peculiar circumstances of a particular moment in time. A heart like this cannot wait on God – it is incapable of doing so. It is bent on fulfilling its own desire, its own mission, and will not wait for God’s direction, help or intervention. Its mission is vengeance, and its works are aimed at destruction – doling out to others what it believes has been doled out to it. Needless to say, such a heart is not pleasing to God because the wrath of man interferes with His righteousness (James 1:20).
- The heart that continually frets rarely finds a place for faith in God. It goes through life missing out on the blessings of God because it’s been too busy worrying to make time to dare to believe in Him. This heart knows nothing of the peace that God alone gives, it has no idea what fullness of life is, and it usually leans more on circumstances than on the word of God.
Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the more susceptible we are to all sorts of clutter creeping subtly into our hearts without us even recognizing it. How deceitful is the heart!!! (Jer. 17:9)
CONCLUSION
By contrast, the heart of a child is something else…. It is precious in its simplicity, priceless in its sincerity, and therefore timeless in its value. It speaks in truth as it sees and feels, and it receives in simplicity (without doubts and arguments) what it hears and understands. It’s little wonder then, that Jesus said that to such belong the kingdom of God. (Lk 18:16)
Nevertheless, praise be to God that it’s never too late to tell Him: ‘Create in me a clean heart’ (Ps. 51:10) and to ask that He continually keep you on track by persistently praying: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart…’ (Ps. 139:23). And when this desire becomes central in your life, you shall be empowered to receive, to see (Matt. 5:8) and to walk with Jesus Christ day by day. The communication lines in fellowship will be restored – He will hear you (Ps. 66:18 -20) and you in turn will be able to hear what He is saying to you.
You shall hear Him gladly (Mk.12:37b) because your ears shall no longer be blocked by any junk or clutter from the heart. The need for man’s approval would be superseded by the greater drive to seek the commendation that matters the most – that which comes from God Himself. ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’.
- Authored by: Hannah Arabella
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