Pure In Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Did you ever discover that your mind had changed a bible verse around to say something that it was in fact not saying? For years, until today actually, my mind unconsciously translated that verse, "Blessed are those whose behavior is perfect, for they shall be allowed to relate to God." Somehow the voice of the flesh was mistranslating Jesus’ words. But today,  He has showed me, interpreted for my heart what the verse really means. Blessed are those whom God has made pure through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, because now they can know Him as He really is. He is full of grace and truth, mercy and compassion, love and gentleness towards us in the frailty and weakness of our flesh, which still does “sin and fall short of the glory of God” and always will until we receive new bodies.

Now I see that it says, pure in HEART. Can a pure-in-heart person sometimes do the wrong thing, make a bad choice that does not reflect the reality of his heart? I think so. So does bad behavior disqualify me from intimate contact with my Lord Jesus? I don’t think so, or as Paul might say, "May it never be!"

Jesus said, “Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your souls.” If the pre-requisite to my seeing and knowing Him is perfecting my behavior, I’m never going to be able to come to Him. If it depends on my performance, then I can never rest from my attempts to please Him so that I can somehow be close to Him.

I now see that “pure in Heart” like everything else in this relationship with Jesus, is a gift of His grace, not a product of my striving after purity. Striving after purity only leads to perfectionism, prudery and self-righteousness (if I think I have somehow succeeded). I cannot make myself pure enough, no matter how much I desire to see God, because He has already made me pure through his blood. To try to make me purer is to deny the reality of my gifted purity. To attempt to do it is only to enter into the deception of believing that I am not pure. 

As God says to Peter after his sheet vision in Acts “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 10:15)

So, embrace the reality of your pure heart, in Him, and enjoy the intimacy of seeing and knowing Him as He really is. The process may surprise and delight you. I pray that He surprises you with His presence today.