Theme: What is the Blessed Life?

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”.  Matt.5:8

This beatitude is an attitude of a true disciple.
Pure does not mean completely without sin.
A pure heart is a heart that loves God completely.

Our loyalty is undivided.

I was in Pier 1 last week doing some Christmas shopping. I noticed a piece of artwork on the far wall that drew me in. The scene was a grove of aspen trees in Colorado. The colors in the painting were greens, yellows, black and white, blues and deep hues of rust. The depth of the forest was intriguing to me. I envisioned myself taking a hike through those woods and enjoying the sounds of nature. I stood in front of the canvas noticing that it was a copy and reasonably priced. I asked my husband to come over and take a look at it.  While standing there he noticed a glob of white paint 1 inch long right in the center of the reproduction. It was out of place and once it was pointed out to me, I could not enjoy the painting. I was focused on the impurity, instead of the art.  

In the beatitude above, Jesus is telling us to keep our hearts pure. Don’t let evil in. Our allegiance to God must be unfaltering. Don’t allow a smudge of something contrary to God to be a part of our lives. When our heart is pure we can see Him who is invisible. We see him in those around us. We see him using people here to achieve his purposes.  We see Him working through us to touch others. This verse is not only talking about seeing God in heaven.  The truth is, we are part of His kingdom now and he is at work in those who love Him. Those who love Him with a pure heart will see Him now.

What a blessing!

Dear Father,
Thank you for giving us a glimpse of yourself in our everyday world.  Jesus thank you for pointing out to us the blessings that come from a pure heart. Thank you Father for the plan you have for us and for working through us to accomplish your purpose here on earth. Forgive me when my loyalty falters and help me to recognize it, so the impurity does not become part of my heart.  In the most Holy name of Jesus, Amen.  

Terry Smith

Stephenville, Texas