DRAWING NEAR
April 20
Becoming Pure in Heart
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt.
5:8).
Purifying a heart is the gracious and miraculous work of the Holy
Spirit, but there are some things we must do in response to His
prompting. First, we must admit we can't purify our own hearts.
Proverbs 20:9 says, "Who can say, 'I have cleansed my heart, I am
pure from my sin?'" The implied answer: no one!
Next, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the
cross is the basis for our cleansing. Acts 15:9 says that God
cleanses hearts on the basis of faith. Of course our faith must be
placed in the right object. First John 1:7 says, "If we walk in the
light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
Finally, we must study the Bible and pray. The psalmist said we keep
our way pure by keeping it according to God's Word, which we must
treasure in our hearts (Ps. 119:9, 11). As we pray and submit to the
Word, the Spirit purifies our lives.
That's how you acquire and maintain a pure heart. As a result you
"shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). That doesn't mean you'll see Him with
physical eyes, but with spiritual ones. You begin to live in His
presence and become increasingly aware of His working in your life.
You recognize His power and handiwork in the beauty and intricacy of
creation (Ps. 19). You discern His grace and purposes amid trials and
learn to praise Him in all things. You sense His ministry through
other Christians and see His sovereignty in every event of your life.
Life takes on a profound and eternal meaning as you share Christ with
unbelievers and see Him transform lives.
There's no greater joy than knowing you are pure before God and that
your life is honoring to Him. May that joy be yours today and may God
use you in a powerful way for His glory!
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask the Lord for continued grace to live a pure life so others will
see Christ in you.
For Further Study:
Read Isaiah 6:1-8.
Describe Isaiah's vision of God. How did Isaiah respond to
God's presence?
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Acts 15:9 (NKJV)
9 "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their
hearts by faith.
Psalm 119:9-11
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to
Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from
Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against
You!
Psalm 19
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows
His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals
knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to
the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices
like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other
end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony
of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of
the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them
there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not
have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be
innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be
acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Isaiah 6:1-8
6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a
throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the
temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he
covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD
of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who
cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of
unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts."
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live
coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has
touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged."
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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