Pure!

Pure!

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 KJV

“What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God. Matthew 5:8 TPT

1 verse; 2 different translations. The story behind these words is the Sermon on the Mount. The message was not for the crowd at the bottom of the mountain, but for the disciples who had dared to come up the mountain after Jesus. If you are content with the ordinary, you can stay with the crowd, blend in with it and most often, get lost in it. There aren't high standards in the crowd; after all, nobody will notice you. If you want more than the ordinary, come up the mountain and hear what Jesus has to say to all who will follow Him.

He calls the people who will follow him into a life of Holiness and purity. In fact, you cannot walk with God outside of holiness. The Bible clearly says that 'without holiness, no man shall see the Lord'. It is not a negotiation; it is an essential ingredient in my walk with God, if I really want to. What is being pure in heart? It is about the focus of your heart, built over time and built with consistency. If I will have a pure heart, it starts by the things I consider to be priority. What do I spend time on? What holds my heart? If God was to turn a searchlight on my heart, what would his search reveal? The answer gives a clear idea of the contents of your heart and the consequences that will follow this focus.

And of course, with God, there are always consequences to every action. If I pursue after God and his will, God says I will see Him. If I do not seek Him on his terms and in line with His will, it doesn't matter how much I search for Him. If the reason for my labour is not based on Truth, all I get is a lie. The more of God I know, the more like Him I become. The more of God I know, the more of Him I reflect. When I see God, the world will see Him in me. If I do not know God, making all the right noises and shaking things up a bit may impress people, but for me, there will be no eternal reward. Is there a point to life if I only impress the world and God does not reckon with me? May I not get to the end of my earthly life and discover that I had pursued the wrong things. His time of favour is here.