“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
“To the pure all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure…They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:15, 16)
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:21, 22)
Whenever God reveals Himself to us, it is for a reason. It is a divine invitation to join with Him in the work He is doing. In this beatitude, Jesus is saying that God reveals Himself to the pure in heart and, therefore, is inviting them to be a part of the work that He is doing. Responding to that invitation (obedience) reveals the condition of our heart. Conversely, if we are impure…polluted…defiled…we will not see God and become “unfit for any good work” according to the Scripture. Obedience becomes a burden. Purity begins in the heart but is confirmed or denied in our works.
So, our concern with the purity of our heart is also a concern with our usefulness to the Master. I not only desire to see God working around me, but I want to join Him in whatever He is doing! I want to get in the mix. I want to be an instrument of His peace…an ambassador of His grace…a minister of His work of reconciliation…a pipeline of His blessing! This is God’s will as well. He longs for you to be with Him in His work as a “vessel useful to the master”. We, the church, are the body of Christ and His witnesses to the lost world around us. His design is to speak and work through His people. We do not have to come up with the plan…He already has it. We are simply tasked to be ready to serve Him.
The passage from Timothy tells us that it is our responsibility to “cleanse” ourselves from the things in our life that compromise our purity of heart. We are to flee from the “youthful passions” or lusts that would divide our loyalties and that would blur our vision of God around us. Yes, only God can cleanse us from our sin, but it is our responsibility to keep ourselves pure. James said, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” God cleanses us and then, through His strength, we keep clean.
Has your vision of God become blurred? Are you having trouble seeing the Kingdom work going on around you? Maybe you have allowed some things to pile up in your life…your heart…that have compromised your purity. Today is the day to clean house! John said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)