Verse of the day: Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God.
There are several verses in the Scriptures
that tell us that it is God who knows the heart. The one that we often quote,
or the one that often comes to mind, relative to this is 1 Samuel 16:7 where
God says to Samuel, concerning David’s older brother, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical
stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks
at the heart.” The Pharisees were good at putting on an outward
appearance of holiness, but Jesus knew what was in their hearts. Here, Jesus
tells us that happy are those who are pure, not outwardly, but inwardly. Sadly,
there are Christians who are good at putting on the appearance of being godly,
but in their hearts they are far from it. God certainly wants our behavior to
be holy and righteous, but true holiness and righteousness begin with a pure
heart. Philippians 4:8 reads, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
It is important that we guard our heart, and thoughts, because it is out of
this that our actions will follow. Too many born again believers allow their
thought-life to go out of control, and although outwardly, and publicly, they
say that right things and do the right things, privately they do just the
opposite. This may be hidden from others for a time, but it is never hidden
from God, and they only fool themselves if they think that God does not see what
is in their hearts all the while they are pretending to be submitted to God and
His ways. King David’s actions were not always holy and righteous, but His heart
was with the Lord, and for this reason God called him a man after His own heart
(1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22). A Christian who is pure in heart is a happy
Christian because the promise is that he/she shall see God. This term was one used
to express special favor amongst the Jews. One commenter wrote that it was a
high honor to be allowed in the presence of the king or prince, and to be
allowed to see him face to face (Pro 22:29). To see a king face to face was to
be a friend and a favorite. The day will come when we too will see God face to
face. Revelation 22:4 reads, “And they shall see His face; and His Name shall
be in their foreheads.” What great happiness, we who are born again, should
possess, knowing that it is because of Jesus’ righteousness, and the favor we
have in Him, that we will see God on that great day! Those Christians who
pretend to be pure outwardly but are corrupt inwardly are most miserable,
because when all is said and done, and they look in the mirror, they cannot
escape the reality of who they really are. God tells us, in Romans 12:2, not to
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. As
God’s children, we need to focus on allowing God to make our hearts right,
because once we have done that, then our outward holiness and acts of righteousness
will be more genuine, as we will then be doing outwardly that which is coming
from a pure heart.
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