DRAWING NEAR
April 19
Thinking Biblically
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt.
5:8).
God is concerned about the way you think. That's why Paul said, "Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is
good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2). In Philippians 4:8 he
instructs us to think about that which is true, honorable, right,
pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy.
When Jesus spoke of a pure heart in Matthew 5:8, He was talking about
sanctified thinking. The Greek word translated "heart" is kardia,
from which we get the word cardiac. While we often relate heart to
the emotions (e.g., "He has a broken heart"), the Bible relates it
primarily to the intellect (e.g., "Out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
slanders"; Matt. 15:19). That's why you must "watch over your heart
with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23).
In a secondary way, however, heart relates to the will and emotions
because they are influenced by the intellect. If you are committed to
something, it will affect your will, which in turn will affect your
emotions.
The Greek word translated "pure" in Matthew 5:8 means "to cleanse."
In the moral sense it speaks of being free from the filth of sin. It
also refers to something that is unmixed, unalloyed, or
unadulterated. Spiritual integrity and sincere motives are
appropriate applications of its meaning to the Christian life.
Jesus was saying the kingdom citizen is blessed because he or she has
pure thoughts and pure motives that together produce holy living.
Someone might say he's religious and has pure motives, but if his
behavior isn't righteous, his heart isn't fixed on God. Similarly,
you can go to church, carry a Bible, and recite verses, but if your
heart isn't clean, you haven't met God's standard.
You must do the will of God from a pure heart (Eph. 6:6). Toward that
end, make David's prayer yours as well: "Create in me a clean heart,
O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10).
Suggestions for Prayer:
Memorize Psalm 19:14 and make it a part of your daily prayers.
For Further Study:
Read the following verses, noting the characteristics of a pure
heart: Psalm 9:1, 26:2, 27:8, 28:7, and 57:7.
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is
any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these
things.
Ephesians 6:6
6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart
Psalm 19:14
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.
Psalm 9:1
9:1 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of
all Your marvelous works.
Psalm 26:2
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.
Psalm 27:8
8 When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face,
LORD, I will seek."
Psalm 28:7
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him,
and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my
song I will praise Him.
Psalm 57:7
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing
and give praise.
~~~
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
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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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