Pure gold, pure silver is valued more and desired more. We come across impure items naturally in nature. To transform them into purity requires time and effort. Time and efforts needs to be put to transform items, be it gold, silver, water, or even a human heart into a state of purity. Pure items are in demand & are treasured.
Consider drinking water, although water may be available in plenty, when visiting many cities and villages, you are cautioned to drink only bottled mineral water or distilled water. Drinking anything else is generally associated with risking various sickness including diarrhea. While a glass of water which is not a bottled mineral water may look identical to a glass tap water, what follows can be a different experience, which is regretted. In many cases, both glasses of water may look similar & even taste similar, but the difference is felt after a day or so. While one glass of water may give ongoing refreshing, the other can result is frequent toilet visits. It is only heeding to the warning and experience of others, which guides one to continually decide in favor of pure mineral or distilled drinking bottled water.
Similarly often, whether your heart is pure or impure, others may not discern any difference. It’s like the glass of water – the glass with the impure tap water and the glass with the pure bottled water would just look the same. But the person you notices the differences is HIM, the almighty.
1. In 1 Samuel, verse 7, we read, “The LORD told Samuel, “Don’t look at His appearance or his height, for I’ve rejected him. Truly, God does not see what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart. So if you want to reach your destiny, your full potential, to be chosen by GOD, take good care of your HEART, maintain it pure.
Why getting chosen by GOD is important? If you are chosen by God, no wall, no hindrance can block your progress, you can even forget envious and jealous friends and relations. Here in this case, David’s Dad & his brothers had decided to ignore him totally ignoring him from the feast when Prophet Samuel had visited their home.
2. Your words, your vocabulary, what you speak becomes good & wholesome, if you take care of your heart. Thus people would like your conversations. Matthew 15, verse 18 to 19 says, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart . . . For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man“
3. Thus if you take care of your heart, you can also have a clean body. Read again the latter part of the last biblical reference. Before physical adultery takes place, adultery happens in the heart. Adultery in both forms is sinful. When any desire is pursued with greater importance than walking in Gods ways, is adulterous. Mathew 5, verse 27 to 28 says, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman
4. Lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27–28). If you take care of your heart, you can stay away from adultery. What is in your heart is not known to others, it’s a secret chamber which only God knows. What you are as a root, not visible to others, but God is very significant and is as visible as a branch..
5. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This is from Mathew 5, verse 8. Thus, “if you take care to maintain a clean heart, you can see GOD, can gain permission to be in HIS presence.“
6. King David says, with clean hands & pure heart, you can go to HIS presence & stand in HIS presence (ascend the Hill of the Lord). Read the Psalm 24, verses 3 to 4, “ Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.”
7. Yet again another awesome benefit of maintaining a pure heart, can be seen in James, where it states, “Draw near to Jesus & HE will draw near to you. Read James 4, verse 8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.” A double minded person, is a hypocritical person, a person whose intent and action are not fully aligned, a person who is deceptive, unfaithful.
How would you recognize a person with a pure heart? A person with a pure heart will love God with All his/her Heart – total, not partial this is the very first commandment. You may have noticed by now, that loving God with All heart, echoing of a “pure heart”.
In Hebrews chapter 12, verse 14, Jesus says, “Strive for . . . the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” For many of us who feel distressed at the prospect that we would not be able to see God, Jesus is quick to give a relief in Hebrews 12, verse 24, when he mentions, “With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
1.With the benefits of a pure heart well established, here are the 3 keys to have a clean heart, viz. Cry to God, “Create in me a Clean Heart”. This is mentioned in Psalm 51, verse 10. You can prayerfully sing this at the following YouTube link https://youtu.be/6lBhvTAfmIk
2. Instead of looking at yourself, look, focus at HIM, who can make you clean. Read verse 14 chapter 2 of Titus, where Christ “gave himself for us . . . to purify for himself a people.”
3. It is Jesus Christ, who cleans and purifies our heart, when we accept his saving grace by faith. Therefore, without any doubt, with all certainty, trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, as mentioned in provers 3, verse 5.
Will these 3 steps, you will see God. Trust in Him, Acts 15:9
