I walked onto the beach and stood in awe. It wasn’t the whitecapped waves that captured my attention or the small flock of pelicans that flew nearby. It was the soap bubbles.
The ocean was edged with soap bubbles, or what looked like them, as if God were cleansing the waters. White foam stood at attention along the beach, a reminder of what “clean” looks like. I played tag with the waves, and then stepped into a foamy mound. My toes didn’t feel it as much as my heart did. Clean. A sense of being made new, washed, set right. “Clean” is a refreshing word, a reality usually achieved through hard work and care. It takes hard work to keep a house clean. How much more our hearts.
Just as it seems impossible to keep an entire ocean clean, it can seem impossible to keep our hearts pure all the time. Yet Jesus adds “pure in heart” as a condition for happiness and blessing.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NKJV)
Blessed are those who are “free from wrong thinking, corrupt desires, and impure motives.”1 Happy are those who are free from the stain and misery of sin. The blessing they receive is seeing God Himself—understanding more of who He is because they learn how to think as He does, in purity and holiness. Drawing close to Him without any sin or guilt reminding them that they can’t. Knowing Him like never before and walking life’s road with Him.
Just as the waves continually lap onto shore and retreat into the ocean, bringing with it sand and shells, the word of God rushes into our hearts when we study it and pulls away the gunk and grime of everyday living. The Lord who spoke the sacred words of the Sermon on the Mount is the same Lord who today cleanses His church with the truth. With the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26 NKJV), Christ keeps His bride pure.
When we obey the truth, our souls are purified (1 Peter 1:22). Staying clean is no longer an improbability in a world filled with sin, guilt, and shame. It can be a reality as we stay close to the Cleanser of our souls and Renovator of our hearts. It can be a daily reality of continual cleansing. “Pure in heart” makes us clean lanterns through which God can shine His light of love and truth.
As God renovates our hearts to be more like His, He not only cleanses away the bad, but He replaces it with the good. He instills in us the right way of thinking, feeling, and acting—His way, in His likeness—so that what we give out is not self-centered but God-centered. “Pure in heart” is a heart centered on God, fueled by His own character, mindful of His purposes in the world. Pure hearts are needed today to direct people’s attention to the quality of God’s love, to the strength of His character and goodness.
Whatever deadlines and schedules call for our attention, whatever temptations pull at our hearts, let’s take time each day to be in God’s word and talk with Him. Let’s allow His truth to wash over our souls and cleanse them from the dirt we’ve accumulated by walking in the world. Just like the waves that continually wash over the beach, God’s “waves” of truth and lovingkindness cleanse us day by day. Then purity won’t be an ideal that’s out of reach, but a reality that we possess and treasure.
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