Where we begin

"In the beginning God ..." is where it all started, and from then on it has ever been the same. So as I begin to share here let me first (and always) acknowledge that there is nothing new under the sun, but if my perspectives and thoughts can come alongside yours then we both get a better understanding of things.

By way of introduction, let me start with what 'Pure Heart' means to me. Pure heart is a way of living - from the inside out. What we do is a reflection of what is within us. Jesus gets to this in His teaching found in Matthew 5-7. The fever of the day was to defend and rationalize the outward actions of a person in order to define their righteousness. A sort of 'you are what you do' mentality, and if you try hard enough and if you can show the right things then that will translate to your heart.

I see this in myself in these current days as well. If I don't watch that movie, or say that word, or think that thought then I will be at peace within, and my righteousnes will be intact. But Jesus turns that around. No degree of external righteousness can or will ever be enough. And if we're honest, our hearts testify to this even in our best moments.

So, 'pure heart' is a phrase that, to me, hits on a couple of thoughts. First, the purity of the heart itself. We find from Jesus that what we do IS related to who we are, but in the opposite way from how we thought. Words, actions, and thoughts spring forth from the heart of a person. Therefore, rather than putting out all the fires on the outside, we should deal with the internal source of the problem. The heart.

Here's the good news. God doesn't ask us to do all the external things that please Him and leave it at that. He ('In the beginning, God' again!) tackles the very nature of who we are and plants Himself at the core of who we are. We become a different person rather than merely or solely doing different things. We will certainly bear new fruit, but those pure actions will be the true fruit of a heart made pure rather than a mock up version of our take on purity.

The second thought is the emphasis on living/acting from the heart. I'm a sports guy, so I've watched my share of games, and that's where I draw a lot of my insights from. The players I appreciate the most and root for the hardest are the ones who play from the heart. The scrapper who doesn't look like a star at all, but he/she is consistently vital to their team's success. The assist leader. The one who practices and prepares because there is a love of team and a sense of responsibility. Words that are often used of these people are dedicated, sacrificial, honest, hard-working. Those are the traits of a pure-hearted life as well.

A thousand anonymous acts done everyday by pure hearts testify to that substance of life we all laud and admire. The heart life is pure life.

So be encouraged right now that the pull you feel in your heart for better living and better times is right. But rather than relying on your supposed strength to construct some outward likeness of life, go deeper. Get to the source of the problem and solution - the heart. Give up the old one and ask God for a new, pure one (Psalm 51). Then begin to live from there. You'll find more Strength than you could ever imagine when '[you] no longer live, but Christ lives in [you]' (Galatians 2).

Lord, You are greater than my heart. And in full knowledge of both who I am and what I've done, I humbly ask you for a new, pure heart. Create it in me, and be glorified by the life I now live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me.