Blessed are the pure in heart …
A pure heart is one that is not only clean and undefiled but also single minded. The blessed follow God with a focus only on Him and not on self.
Jesus taught the shema – “Love the Lord your God with ALL YOUR HEART and with all your soul and with all your strength”.[1] Emphasis mine – but in other words, purely.
Listen to Paul in Philippians:
... “this ONE THING I do” 3:13
We may appear pure, but God looks inside and knows our true state. The heart refers to our thoughts, our will and our desires – everything we are, intellectually and spiritually. Only God can cleanse our heart. But we can pursue Him, as Paul declares, with a solitary aim. The pure heart is transparent; there are no mixed or hidden agendas, which give it integrity. What you see is what you get.
… for they will see God.
The pure in heart are focused on God and so are aware of His presence. They see His work and are mindful of what He is doing around them. Truth is not obscured by sin and self, which can lead to spiritual blindness. The pure in heart, the blessed, see God.
God hid Moses from seeing His glory fully, lest he die. Today we see dimly, but we will some day see Him face to face. God makes us pure in heart so we can be with Him.
As I reflect on this, I have to ask, what is my mission? Where is my devotion? Do I pursue God alone? Or do I have selfish pursuits mixed in?
Lord, give me a pure heart, helping me to love You with all my heart, soul and strength.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
[1] Deuteronomy 6:5
