Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)
This is a very interesting verse. There are really so many directions this message can go in. There are two things that I think of when I read this. First, I think of the day when we will literally see God with our very own eyes - a privilege only the pure-hearted sons and daughters of God will be able to experience. We will eventually enter into the kingdom of heaven and into the presence of the Lord, having had our hearts completely purified from all sin.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV)
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5 NKJV)
And boy, what a hope we have in this, wouldn't you say? I can hardly wait for the day! But there is something else that comes to mind when I read Matthew 5:8 that has a little bit more to do with how we live our lives in the here-and-now.
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:17-8:1)
Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. (Psalm 4:3)
Christ is truly the "Lamb of God that has come to take away the sin of the world" - His cleansing blood purifies us from all unrighteousness, which is the only way we could see God face-to-face as we talked about above. But there's more to this as well. Christ's death, which reconciles us to God, also enables us to live pure today. As we see from the two verses above, a pure life now, abstaining from things which defile us, will result in a closer relationship to God. This puts Matthew 5:8 in a totally different light: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." So now, let's ask the question:
How can a young man keep his way pure? (Psalm 119: 9a)
This is a very interesting verse. There are really so many directions this message can go in. There are two things that I think of when I read this. First, I think of the day when we will literally see God with our very own eyes - a privilege only the pure-hearted sons and daughters of God will be able to experience. We will eventually enter into the kingdom of heaven and into the presence of the Lord, having had our hearts completely purified from all sin.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV)
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5 NKJV)
And boy, what a hope we have in this, wouldn't you say? I can hardly wait for the day! But there is something else that comes to mind when I read Matthew 5:8 that has a little bit more to do with how we live our lives in the here-and-now.
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:17-8:1)
Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. (Psalm 4:3)
Christ is truly the "Lamb of God that has come to take away the sin of the world" - His cleansing blood purifies us from all unrighteousness, which is the only way we could see God face-to-face as we talked about above. But there's more to this as well. Christ's death, which reconciles us to God, also enables us to live pure today. As we see from the two verses above, a pure life now, abstaining from things which defile us, will result in a closer relationship to God. This puts Matthew 5:8 in a totally different light: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." So now, let's ask the question:
How can a young man keep his way pure? (Psalm 119: 9a)
Well, here's the answer, in the second half of this verse:
By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. (Psalm 119: 9b-12)
Of course, this is referring to the Law given to Moses, in which we have a tremendous blessing. While we no longer live under Law but under grace, we can still use the Law - and indeed, the entire Word of God! - as a guideline of the things which build us up in purity, and the things which tear us down. Praise God for the revelation of His Word to us, without which we would be so pitifully lost in this world! I pray that we would all earnestly seek purity, so that we can grow closer to God today, and truly see God in the days to come.
See the Daily Bread "Purity: To Proclaim Liberty To The Captives" (4-1-08) for further examination of this topic.
See the Daily Bread "Purity: To Proclaim Liberty To The Captives" (4-1-08) for further examination of this topic.
Blessings,
Andrew
