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Good Monday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends around the world.
If you could describe the type of people who would be MOST helpful to your city, in your social network, in the leadership of your country…today and for the rest of this remarkable year of 2020, I wonder how you would describe them?
Could it be YOU are strategically placed, right where you are, by God Almighty, to be one of those special people, making a huge difference for the good of your part of our world in this historic time?
As Jesus looked out across a huge crowd one day, in times very much like ours, He said this:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God’s people…” (Matt. 5:8,9)
What difference could people who are ‘pure in heart’ make in your part of the world in the next 60 days? Business leaders, educators, politicians, health care workers, law enforcement people, parents and grandparents? Who do you know who comes close to being ‘pure in heart’? Why is that such a significant character trait?
In his deep remorse and repentance king David cried out “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.” (Psalm 51:10-12) David knew he had failed miserably with Mrs. Uriah, Bathsheba, and he longed to regain that very special relationship with God that he had enjoyed for so long. He knew he had disqualified himself from being trusted and certainly he had no right to be king.
His once pure heart had turned selfish, prideful, lustful and he had done some terrible things which badly damaged the long and very tender friendship he had with God. He could no longer be trusted, either to think clearly and make wise choices, nor could his word be trusted as truthful. Does that sound like a great many high profile people all around this world in our day? In his shame, his despair, David cried out that God would forgive him, restore their relationship, and then do a cleansing work in him and give him a pure heart and make him once again a trustworthy leader. You’ll find the events, by the way in 2 Samuel 11 & 12 in the Bible.
So, how is your heart today my friends all around the world? Fearful of the invisible terrorist called COVID-19? Deeply trouble by what we see and hear in the despicable character of too many high profile politicians around the world, but especially in America in this election year? How do their attitudes, their ever changing positions on issues, their sarcastic and malicious words affect your respect for them? Are they trustworthy men and women?
Do you fear for what is ahead for your country and our world, considering the character of too many in leadership? Oh what a dramatic difference a “Pure Heart” would make in them, do you agree? And what accountability do you believe God will call them to when their day of judgment comes?
Earlier in his life David had written: “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in any idol or swear by any false god. These people will receive a blessing from God…such is the generation of those who seek the face of God.” (Ps. 24:3-6)
Oh my, what a huge difference those types of people would make in Washington, in Beijing, in Moscow, in Beirut, in Jerusalem, in Paris, in London, in Madrid, in Cairo, in your city and mine. So where do we find such people my friends? No one is born this way, so what needs to happen deep in the heart of any person to become a person with a ‘pure heart and clean hands’ who ‘seeks the face of God’? That’s the unique miracle which happens in any human heart when true repentance meets with the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit of God!
John, one of Jesus’ disciples, who had experienced this transformation personally, for he had an anger problem, and he’d seen it in other people like his friend Peter… John explained it this way: “God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all…if we claim we are without sin we lie and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and He will forgive our sins and He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness…” (1 John 1:5-9)
So my “Walking with Jesus” friends, I invite you to consider this… God implores us to be a people with pure hearts and that is a work of God, none of us can fabricate or develop a pure heart. But EVERYONE we know, everyone our lives touch, is begging us to be a person with a pure heart! So. . .what’s holding you and me back from doing what David did, and seeking from God a pure heart and then being diligent to keep our heart pure! If we do, Jesus said we will be “blessed” and so will every person our life touches…think about the power of that my friends! So let’s go… let’s all go into God’s presence and ask Him to do whatever it takes to clean us up and give each of us His pure heart!
Before I end today, take a moment and consider the second important thing Jesus said that day which I quoted at the beginning of my thoughts today… “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called people of God.” (Matt. 5:9)
So I see two things here… first, one of the major outflows of a pure heart is the pursuit of peace! If God gives you a pure heart you will naturally look around to see if there is anyone you are not at peace with, and you’ll strive to restore your relationship with that person to a pure and peaceful relationship.
Then the second thing you’ll do is have a watchful eye for any discord, any anger, any place or relationship that you see which is not at peace…and guess what? You’ll feel the Holy Spirit of God leading you into that discord to try and bring peace! Now let me ask you my friends, how different would your social network be, your city, your country, even your church, if peacemakers reigned and were actively resolving conflicts and bringing peace, everywhere?
What if the politicians were peacemakers instead of slanderous, malicious, angry, spiteful people, who made their living tearing down their opponents? What if politicians did what they are elected to do… work with all the other elected people for building the best possible society? Of course if that happened we’d all think we were sleep walking and living a dream!
But grasp this my friends, as we close today… the RESTORED people of God are designed by God and expected by God to be a people with Pure, Clean hearts, and people who are peacemakers all the time, everywhere we are, at any moment in time! Those are God’s people who make a significant difference in their world and leave a profoundly honorable legacy.
So. . .is that you and me? If YES, then know you are blessed of God a great blessing to everyone your life touches.
If NO, why not? And if NO, then we must recognize we are not living up to the expectations of God for us, the people redeemed by the blood of His Son Jesus! So. . .what are going to do about that today my friends? It’s decision time, right now. 1 Peter 2:9-12 and Matthew 5:8,9 are calling to us…make a decision, so we can make a difference in our world!
Here’s a song to help you spend some minutes looking deeply into your heart and asking God to show you what HE wants to do to change it into a pure heart!
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: Matthew 5:8, 9; 1 Peter 2:9-12. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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