Blessed are the pure in heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.

Blessed people are happy people. Those who are pure in heart are happy because they don't let any evil into their hearts that would make them unhappy.

Instead of having a heart that is full of impurity, unthankfulness, unbelief and evil suspicions about others, these people have pure, good, and wholesome thoughts—thoughts of thankfulness and thoughts about how they can bless others. They also have a firm, uncompromising resistance in their hearts to any thoughts of selfishness, impurity, doubt and anxiety that might try to come in.

How do I become pure in heart and keep it that way?

You could talk to a hundred people on the street and not find a single person who doesn't want to be happy. But not everyone is willing to do what it takes to be pure in heart. Getting a pure heart and keeping it doesn't happen by accident. To get a pure heart I have to put my life in order with God and people and ask for forgiveness when necessary. But purity isn't meant to stop there.

It is written in Psalm 119:9, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By taking heed according to Your word." God's Word is the instruction manual for helping me to keep my heart pure all my life. It is not complicated to begin living a pure life. For a start, think about taking just one simple verse and obeying that, like this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

Think how happy I will be in one month if I am thankful in everything! How about one year later? 10 years later? Imagine the end of a long life with a pure heart that is full of thankfulness, where I've started out making the right choices while I'm young!

In all of life's circumstances I have to make choices about how I react to other people, what I do with my free time, and what thoughts I allow to occupy my mind. Obeying God's Word gives me a direction for my life and helps me make the right choices in all of the situations I meet.

The end of a life lived in purity

David said in Psalm 23:6, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." This is a description of a life lived with a pure heart—such a person only becomes more and more happy!

Not only do goodness and mercy follow me all my life, but I will also receive eternal happiness and blessedness together with Jesus and the saints. This is truly a life worth living—a life with nothing evil in my heart and no regrets!

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.