“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, NAS) 

Being pure is being free from extraneous matter; being made of only one substance; not mixed with anything else. To mix the religion of human achievement with the Gospel of the finished work of Christ alone for salvation is impurity of heart. Biblically speaking, a pure heart is one that is not divided in its affections and desires, but is wholly devoted to God, thus seeing God. “No one can serve two masters.” (Matthew 6:24)

“The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5, NLT)

The only way I can be full of love coming from a pure heart is through the Holy Spirit. I don’t have it in me. And this happens when I’m focusing on God and His desires. “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart.” (Psalm 26:2) “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord …” (Psalm 19:4) “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.’” (Psalm 27:8)

 When I’m seeing God, I’m filled with love. Pure heart means I get myself out of the way and let God be my focus and as a result His love naturally pops out! It is good to be pure in heart because you’re showing God to others in the way that Moses’s face shone to others after he’d been with God.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17, NAS)

The wisdom from above is FIRST pure (which means you’re seeing God). THEN all the other attributes come next. They are not attainable in and of ourselves. They come from seeing God.

The beatitudes are Jesus’s way of describing to us what citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven look like. They demonstrate that the way to blessedness (joyful happiness) is a route far different from what the world maps out for us. Kingdom joy and blessings are not measured in terms of affluence, pleasure, abundance and ease. In fact, they are incompatible with this world’s values. They are counterintuitive … contrary to intuition or to common sense expectations. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we are not SUPPOSED to feel at home in this world or look like citizens of this world.

Jesus has offered us blessedness which doesn’t involve this world’s stuff. He wants to take us away from this world and the things that are in it. Those who see God because of a pure heart will have an entirely different standard of life; totally opposite to the world’s system. Paul says in Romans 12:2, “… do not be conformed to this world.” It can give you neither blessedness nor joy.

One of my favorite songs right now is “Can’t Steal My Joy” by Josiah Queen. He sings, “What the world couldn’t give, no, it can’t take away.”

To be pure in heart, and to possess any of the other beatitudes, requires the Holy Spirit. Oswald Chambers challenges us in this truth: “Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has ‘poured out in our hearts the very love of God.’” (Romans 5:5)

Furthermore, Jesus declares that “if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also … And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me … So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27, 33) To hate in this context means to rank our loves in such a way that it will be obvious to all that our love for Christ is preeminent over every other love in our life. 

For an unbeliever, the verses in Luke 14 are incomprehensible and even offensive. Totally counterintuitive. They make no sense. But as a follower of Jesus Christ, infused with the Holy Spirit, you get it. Jesus comes first. No thing or person stands between you and Jesus. Put Him first and He in time will love everyone through you. THAT is pure in heart … seeing only Jesus.

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light … And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus Himself alone.” (Matthew 17:2, 8) Jesus told those three disciples (Peter, James and John) not to tell anyone about this event until after the Son of Man had risen. I have no doubt that seeing Jesus in His glory strengthened their faith so they could help others see Jesus.

I came to know God in this way years ago when I lost my 19-year-old son. The Lord got me through that tragedy by building a strong relationship with Him. He gave me support through others. He put up with all my questions and even anger … yelling at Him. I read constantly … mostly books about end times and the Rapture … escaping from my grief by focusing on Him. I studied the book of Job and found one of my all-time favorite verses.

“My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You.” (Job 42:5)

Be counterintuitive. Be pure in heart by focusing on God. You’ll SEE God. It’s SO worth it. Pure focus on God will get you through unbearably hard seasons and through simple daily struggles. Everything comes into perspective when the Lord gets first place.

Write out a prayer that embraces Matthew 5:8 and Psalm 51:10. Reflect on the Scriptures and truths that have been shared today.

Midway through today’s devotion, the author writes “The beatitudes are Jesus’s way of describing to us what citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven look like.” The author then describes that the world’s values are completely incompatible with Kingdom values. Relook at the beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12 and ask yourself which Kingdom you most identify with. Which attitude seems most counterintuitive, and why?