Verse
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8 ESV)
What does it mean to be pure in heart?
This is our sixth verse of the week. If you have been participating in our challenge, you have now memorized more than half of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” What does it mean to be pure in heart? To define what it means is made easier when we define what it is not. The opposite of being pure in heart would be to have ulterior motives. The opposite of a person pure in heart is a person who is manipulative to get their way. So a person with purity of heart is a person of integrity.
When we look around it might seem that the way to get ahead is through deceit, manipulation, and compromising our values. Jeremiah in the Old Testament pondered:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? (Jeremiah 12:1, ESV)
There may be truth that taking shortcuts and compromising integrity will offer short-term gain, but we will always lose out in the end. There have certainly been times in your life when it may have seemed that compromising your integrity seemed more profitable. But Jesus tells us that it is the pure in heart who will ultimately succeed. Those who live with integrity are the ones who will dwell in the presence of God.
Faith plays an important role in living with integrity. There is trust that God will honor our integrity and prosper our integrity. Living honorable is filled with tough decisions. But when we live honorable we have the opportunity to see God work wonders and show why he is trustworthy and faithful.
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