I remember the school days when teachers would grade on a scale. So if there were some students in the class who did not really care about the class they would always drop the scale and help me out. It was not something that motivated me to improve, but rather it made me a bit lazy. When I think about the concept of having a pure heart I seem to always have the temptation to think of it as a grade on a scale. There are always people below me and so I must be okay.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. (Matthew 6:8 NLT)
Maybe of all the "blessing statements" of Jesus, this one is the one that is so far out of reach that we tend to only be able to manage it with comparison. I mean I know my heart at times is really good and then there are times when jealousy, prejudice, unforgiveness, impurity, and... well you get the idea. It makes me feel like I can not live up to a pure heart standard.
One thing I have learned is to discern where my thoughts are coming from. The devil is a master of sending temptations our way. These temptations are often in the form of thoughts to distract us from God and His way. Just because I have an impure thought does not mean it came from my heart. I just have to decide what I am going to do with that thought. Dwell on it? Act on it? Tell the devil to get away from me.
Another thing I have learned is that God does not expect me to not be human. He loves me in my human form and understands my humanity. He understands all the brokenness of humanity. A pure heart is not a desire by God for me to quit being human, but rather to learn to depend more and more on the Holy Spirit of God. My only shot at a pure heart is the heart of Jesus in me. Jesus must increase in me as I decrease and that is a daily process of surrender. Then it is clear, the more Jesus is my pure heart the more clearly I see Him.
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