Be pure in heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

What does "pure in heart" mean?  It means unmixed motives.  You are a person of integrity.  You don't say one thing and act another way.  Your motives are true.  God is concerned with why we do things as much as He's concerned with what we do.  He's concerned with our motives.

Matthew 6:1  "Be careful not to parade your good deeds before others to attract their notice or you will lose all your reward from your Father in heaven."

Is it possible to do good things with wrong motives?  Sure.  Is it possible to be outwardly religious and inwardly a mess?  Sure.  Jesus says, 'happiness comes when you are the same on the inside as on the outside.  You're a person of integrity.  You have unmixed motives.'  Jesus said this was so important He spent an entire chapter on it:  Matthew 6.

Remember that God sees everything. The key phrase in Matthew 6 is "your Father sees what is done in secret."  Nothing is a secret from God.  Nothing is ever a surprise to Him.   Does it bother you in knowing that you have no secrets from God?  It bothers me sometimes.  There are some secrets I would like to have from God.  But God says He knows everything about us.  A lot of people think they're fooling God. Have you ever had the devil tell you, "Go ahead, nobody will ever find out."  Somebody already knows.  "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.  Everything is uncovered before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."  If God already knows everything, I might as well have a pure heart than try to fake it. I may fool others but I cannot fool God.  The wonderful thing is God knows everything that I'm going to do but He still loves me.

Do an honest evaluation of why you do what you do.  Proverbs 24:21 "God knows and judges your motives.  He keeps watch over you; He knows.  He rewards you according to what you do."

Give, give, give....... but give the right way:

 Matthew 6:2 "So when you give to the needy do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on the streets to be honored by men. I tell you the truth.  They have received their reward in full."  He says when you give, you shouldn't give in order to be seen by other people. When you give the right way, you receive God's reward.

Pray, pray, pray...... but pray the right way:

"When you pray don't be like the hypocrites.  They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.  I tell you they've received their full reward."  Have you ever heard anybody pray to the crowds, pray to other people?  They pray a real flowery prayer, and when they're finished you want to say, "Wow!" and you feel like applauding?  God says, they don't have a pure heart.  Have you ever heard anybody pray reminding God of something He already knows to tell the other people who are listening?  "Lord help us to remember that Thursday night is a committee meeting at 7:00 at Mary's house."  Or have you ever given somebody a pat on the back when you're praying?  "Lord, thank you for the 15 people I witnessed to this week."  Jesus says, you have your reward.  When you pray,  don't do it to impress other people. When you pray the right way, you receive God's reward.

A pure heart is someone who is content with God's praise.  A pure heart is someone who is controlled by God's priorities.  Pure in heart means being continually conscious of God's presence.

How can I clean up my heart?  The answer is you can't.  You cannot clean up your heart on your own.  Otherwise Jesus wouldn't have needed to come to earth.

To get a clean heart you just ask God.  God wants to give you a brand new heart.  He wants you to put your trust in Him.  It's simple:  you ask Him for a clean heart and He'll give you a new heart, a new outlook, a new life, a new start.

What is the end result?  Happiness!

Have a wonderful new week. Strive to be pure in heart.