If you get nothing else out of this post, I want you to understand those who are pure in heart hold nothing back from God. This week we return to our series on the Beatitudes, with blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Before we dive into this I want to share with you one of my favorite Bible passage. It is Genesis 2:25 “Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame” (NLT). There is a lot of rich spiritual/theological meat, in these words.
The man (Adam) and his wife (Eve) were naked and they felt no shame. They stood not only naked and unashamed before one another. They were also standing naked and unashamed in front of their creator. The first couple were truly pure of heart at the end of chapter two of Genesis. These two got to see God face to face. They walked hand in hand with Him in the cool of the evening. Adam and Eve laughed and joked with God. I think, they shared everything with God. They were intimate with their creator. Chapter two shows us they held nothing back from God and thus they got to see Him face to face.
Then it all gets messed up in chapter three for the couple. They started chasing their own desires. They no longer shared everything with God. For a minute, wonder what would have happened if they would have called out to God when they were being tempted. Instead they eat of the stinking fruit and hide in the poison ivy from their Creator. They are no longer pure of heart, they are now keeping part of themselves from the one they once shared everything with.
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8, NLT). So how do we become pure of heart? How do we get to the point we hold nothing back from God? The first way is to spend daily time with God. On April 26th of this year Alisha and I will be married twenty-one years. Imagine with me, on April 26, 1997, I stood at the front of the Fort Scott First Church of the Nazarene in my dress blues looking sharp. Waiting for the most beautiful woman in the world, the love of my life, to walk down the aisle. Then it happens she walks to me, we join hands and before God and the gathered community exchange vows. Then I kiss Alisha and whisper in her ear. “I love you babe, I’ll make sure I come and see you each Christmas and Easter, peace out”. I can tell you we would not be celebrating twenty-one years of marriage in a couple of weeks. My wife and I have a strong marriage, one which has taken time, a great deal of conversation coupled with a lot of listening. It has taken us understanding we have to hold nothing back from the other, we have to be open and honest we have to stand naked and unashamed before each other.
We all understand, any deep meaning relationship takes spending quality time with the other. Talking open and honestly. Great relationships take listening and daily commitment. None of us would expect to have a deep relationship with someone we see only at Christmas and Easter and then maintain radio silence with them the rest of the year. None of us would expect to have a deep relationship with someone we only speak to once every couple of months or even a cursory glance once a week. Yet some do this with God and then wonder why they do not have a deep relationship with Him. They wonder why they can’t see Him face to face. The answer is because they have tried to hide themselves form God. The first step to being pure of heart is spending daily quality time with God. Being committed to the relationship.
The second step to having a pure heart is allowing God to search you. The Psalmist says, “Search me God and see if there be any thing wicked in me.” Relationships are built on being open and honest with each other. Helping each other overcome hurts and hang ups. When we ask God to search us, we are asking Him to make us in to the men and women He would have us to be. Pastor great, but I do not need to do this I’m a good person; I’m a Christian. Have you ever been watching a show on television and felt something telling you, you shouldn’t be watching this? Have you ever been talking bad about someone and felt guilty? Is there a part of your life, perhaps your career you’re not ready to hand over to God? We all have times we need to be searched and cleansed by God.
The final step in being pure of heart is to live into the two Greatest Commandments. You know, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and spirit and love your neighbor as yourself. When we place God first in our lives everything else is in its proper place. Only by allowing God to be first can we then love our neighbors as ourselves.
As I bring this post to a close, I know life happens. There are times circumstances pile on top of us and it is hard to see God. These are things we have no control over. But there are times we can’t see God because we are trying to hide from Him. So if you are having trouble seeing God will you ask Him if your heart is pure? Will you spend daily quality time with Him, allowing God to search you? Will you live into the two greatest commandments? Food for thought. Pastor Travis out.
