Seeing God
Matthew 5:8 Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
JESUS’ teaching here is no surprise. Scriptures consistently
points to the desire and benefit of a pure heart. For example, God’s Word prays
for a pure heart: Create in me a pure
heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10). God’s
Word points to the pure heart as the access point to the king: He who loves a pure heart and whose speech
is gracious will have the king for his friend. (Proverbs 22:11). And God’s Word encourages us
all to strive for a pure heart: Flee the
evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along
with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)
A pure heart is synonymous
with holiness—perfection. Pureness is without blemish. Our holy, pure Father in
heaven is teaching us through the Son and by the Spirit that we must strive to
have holy eyes to see his perfection. We are born with sin’s grime on our eyes,
blocking our view of God’s purity. However, our eyes begin to be cleansed as
the Spirit awakens us to Jesus’ saving truth. The Gospel of God then becomes our
pure cleansing agent to scrub clean our spiritual eyes. And our eyes will open increasingly
wide as we wondrously see the love, joy, peace and truth of salvation.
This is the
blessing for the pure in heart—the promise of eternal life. The blessing grows
deeper and wider during our life here on earth as the Gospel cleanses us daily.
Live, my friends, with a desire for a pure heart. Pray the psalmist’s prayer
and live scrubbed clean in the truths of scripture.
LIFE Link: God’s Word is a great cleaning agent for your
eyes.
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