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

At church Sunday, Josh taught on Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Our physical heart serves as the engine for our body by circulating life thru us. The physical make up of our heart is so amazing that when I pause to think about the intricacies of its form and function I am immediately thankful to God for the miracle of life. Josh told a wonderful story about how Dr. Bill Frist, a heart surgeon, would travel the county in order to perform heart transplants and the when the transplanted heart would be put into place the heart would begin to beat once again. Dr. Frist said that the heart would remember what it was meant to do. A healthy human heart is a must for our body perform properly, so to a pure heart is necessary if one is to see God.

Think about the people you know who you would consider to have a “pure heart.” Do you remember what it was like to have the heart of a child? If you ever were forced to take a wellness class as a freshman you probably remember the emphasis put on cardio exercises in order to keep your heart healthy. The purity of our spiritual hearts must also be exercised. Our spiritual hearts will not remain pure if we leave them unguarded and unexercised. “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life -Proverbs 4:23.” We need to guard our hearts from becoming evil yet not insulate our hearts from raw feelings anger, pain, and sadness when we encounter injustice or sin in the world around us.

As disciples of Christ we must keep our hearts open to feel for the world and exercise our spiritual hearts but reaching out in the same ways that Jesus would if he were living in Nashville. In my experience if we allow ourselves a few minutes of pause to quite our minds, I am confident that if invited the Holy Spirit will rouse the burden that already rests within our hearts. In Josh’s sermon he made it clear that disciples cannot earn our way to God, but life with God is a give and that we are to love with hearts wide open. Josh said that “Jesus believes that our inward roots are connected to our outward fruits.” So, where are my roots? Are the roots of my heart grounded in a love for self or in a love for God and neighbor?

When asked about commandments Jesus said in Mark 12:29-31 The most one, answered Jesus is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

May God continue to create in us clean hearts so we can see God.