The Way of the Pure in Heart…Coming Clean

There is great promise for the pure in heart.

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

In order to find God, or “see” Him, we must first find ourselves. We must “see” ourselves for who we really are apart from God. It is not a pretty picture.

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." - Mark 7:21-23 (NASB)

The moment we come clean with ourselves, the opportunity is there for us to come clean with God. No more blaming others. No more rationalizations. No more self-justification. No more self-comparisons.

For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. - 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NASB)

All we need is a little light.

For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB)

Father, are You there? I have lost my way. I don’t know who I am anymore, let alone You. My heart is cold. My way is dark. Please give me some Light. Please let me see Jesus.

"…Sir, we wish to see Jesus." - John 12:21 (NASB)

Have You Lost Your Heart?

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. - Psalms 139:23-24 (NASB)

The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. - Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)

So if sin has somehow become less sinful and that sense of amazement at His grace is a fading memory, how do I find my way back into His “good graces”? How can I again know the joy of God’s salvation? You would think that just “saying no” to sin would do it. Just exercise a little will power. Think positively. Think good thoughts. Be a good person. Do good things for others. Don’t kick the cat and yell at the wife or kids! Surely, if I just do right, think right and act right God will be gracious to me and love me one more time.

Unfortunately, this approach might act as a momentary catharsis and bring temporary relief. It might even make us “better people”. It doesn’t take long, however, to realize that we lack the capacity to sustain such an approach for long periods of time. Even if we do manage to turn over a new leaf, we find in our moments alone with ourselves that an “inner numbness” remains. We’re not as happy as we thought we would be. Something is still missing. With good intentions no doubt, we have mistakenly tried to clean up our act without cleaning up our heart!

Scripture tells us that the heart is the very wellspring of life itself. The condition of the heart determines the quality of life we enjoy. If the heart is weak, we are weak. If the heart is sick, we are sick. If the heart is healthy and strong, we are healthy and strong. Oh, and before we go any further, don’t confuse intentions with heart. Just because we mean well doesn’t mean that we are well!

Many of us have lost touch with our heart and in the process, have become oblivious to its true condition. Heart disease is the number one killer. It is a silent killer. Is spiritual heart disease silently killing you?

Begin today by asking God to help you find your heart. If you will, healing is not far behind.

Cheating Ourselves of the Grace of God

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." - Exodus 34:6-7 (NASB)

The tendency of the human frame is to lower the standard when the standard becomes too difficult to achieve. (We do this with our children all of the time.) It is our way of showing mercy and compassion. We mistakenly conclude that our failure to achieve is because the goal is unattainable. So, we move the goal to a more “reasonable” level. We lower the bar so that everyone can win!

This reasoning has the subtle effect of thinking that God responds in the same way. He sees our struggle to live victoriously and walk in purity and because He feels sorry for us and is so full of compassion, He decides to lessen the “sin standard”. What He once called profane now becomes holy and thus no penalty is due. No penalty? No guilt and shame. We are feeling good!

Contrary to popular opinion, God exercises His mercy and grace much differently than we do. Rather than lessening His requirements, He stands pat. He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. The “good news” however is that He provides a way to deal with the just punishment that is due for our sin. He satisfies the demands of justice by standing in our stead and offering His life in place of ours.

I’m well aware that most people are very acquainted with the story. But somehow, I think it bears repeating. I don’t believe we fully grasp the fact that we have been cheating ourselves - cheating ourselves of the rich, ever-sufficient grace and mercy of God. Where there is no sin, there is no need for grace. With each lowering of the bar, the experience of grace is lost for we feel justified in our own mind. We effectively “trample underfoot the Son of God, regard as unclean the blood of the covenant and insult the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29).

Perhaps grace is no longer amazing because we are not (in our own minds) the sinners we once were.

The Recovery & Return to Sound Teaching

The Sliding Scale of Truth

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

- 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB)

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

- 2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NASB)

As you can see, I have been absent for some time - a reflection of my lack of discipline for which I feel the necessity to confess. While I would love to know that the words posted here are a source of encouragement and provocation for others in their walk with Christ, they are at the least, a means for me to heed Paul's admonition to Timothy to " take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. "

I have been stirred of late about the matter of sound teaching and wondering if we have not fallen prey to the deception that Scripture often warns against. Amazingly, we acknowledge the reality of deception yet fail so often to accept the fact that it might have very well happened to us - individually and corporately. The standard of sound teaching seems to have found its way into each individual's understanding of "what seems right" or "what we wish were right" rather than the immutable, infallible Word of God himself.

One thing is for certain, God's standards are constant. The only thing about the standards of men that is consistent is that our standards "consistently move". Facing difficulty, cultural demands, and our own sense of justice, we continually adjust the standard according to the prevailing sentiment of the day thinking that, in the process, we are more liberated, open-minded, compassionate and tolerant than were our predecessors. In the process, we mistakenly think that God is behind the tectonic shift in thinking and has changed His mind about how He wishes us to live before Him.

I'm thinking that if God "hated" something in 400 B.C., He still "hates" it today. Unfortunately, I've found that there are some things that I have "hated" in the past with which I have grown quite comfortable. I am intentionally resisting my desire to "make a list" but rather lay before you the simple question, "Where have I given in?"

More to come...