Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Jesus). What does it mean to be pure in heart? I believe that Jesus wants for us to have the ability to love as He loves; with no strings attached and with no reservation or exceptions. A person with a pure heart will love his neighbor, his family, his friends, and even his enemy. How can we love our enemy when we have feelings of hate, anger, bitterness, disgust, or any other fitting description of how we feel about our enemies? When we are asked to love as He loves, it’s not about a feeling but is about an action. We are to put action in our love for others. We do this by helping those who are need and yes, we have to include our enemy. Pray for our enemies, help our enemies when they need help; give of ourselves to our enemies the same way we would our loved ones; the same way Jesus does. Practice forgiveness of others and allow the love of our Father through Jesus flow through us.

              To be pure at heart means to have full faith and confidence in the promises of God without reservation; to be like a child who has that ability to love, to believe and to accept without a second thought. Jesus wants us to change our way of thinking, our way of loving, and our way of believing. Jesus said that “unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (p. Matthew 18). We know we can’t physically change into a child, but we can change the direction of our spirit and our mind from the things in our lives that do not match up with the things of God; with the teaching of Jesus and to the things that are of God and the teaching of Jesus. How do we do that? Trust in the One who created us in His image and His likeness. Redirection is always difficult but is necessary if we are to be pure in heart because I know that for me, I want into the kingdom and I want to see God. Be happy in knowing that if you are pure in heart; loving others, forgiving, showing mercy toward others, accepting God’s word through the life and ministry of Jesus, you will see God.

 

Jesus. (n.d.). The Beattitudes. In Matthew, The Nelson Study Bible NKJV (p. 1583).

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2015). Retrieved from www.merriam-webster.com

Nelson, T. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible. Nashville.