Jesus 101: Pure Inside

 
Medical science has developed amazing tests to look at our physical hearts.  They include catheterizations, CAT scans, MRIs and more.  They can even open our chests and examine our hearts with their own eyes.  

But science will never develop a test that can look at our spiritual hearts.  That's our inner world of being, where we are who we are.  

Ancient people believed their hearts were not only the center of their emotions, but also of their thoughts and will.  We say, "I thought."  They said, "I said in my heart."  

In this context, Jesus spoke his sixth beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

The word "pure" means to be "thoroughly clean," even "scoured."  To be pure in heart is to be pure in your inner world, in the place where only you and God can see.

Many religious leaders in Jesus' day weren't pure in heart.  They felt as long as they were clean in their outward conduct, it didn't matter what was in their hearts.  In Matthew 23:25-56, he said they were like dishes that were clean on the outside but dirty on the inside.

Judging purity of heart is difficult because people can appear to be acting from pure thoughts and motives when they aren't.  Sometimes we even fool ourselves!  In Galatians 5:16ff, the apostle Paul suggested that the fruit that comes out of us is a good indication of what's going on inside us!

How do we become pure in heart?  We begin by putting our faith in Christ in our hearts.  When we do that, the Holy Spirit enters us and begins a transformational process.  We continue in that process as we pray, meditate on the scriptures, and hang out with people who are pure in heart.

Jesus said the pure in heart are blessed because they will see God.  As members of God's eternal kingdom, they will see God, the ultimate example of purity of heart.  

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