Striving to Be Pure at Heart
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. Psalm 24:3-4 NIV
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4 NRSVCE
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:3-16 NIV
I have shied away from verses about the “pure at heart,” because I know that I have fallen short so many times. But, in my devotion this morning,1 Timothy Keller said: “The quality of our speech, our prayer life, and our walk with God improve together.”
One broken habit of which I have become more keenly aware over the past several years is my use of bad language and my tendency to yell at my family when I get angry. The more time I spend in devotion and starting my day with prayer and Scripture, the less I have those unnecessary outbursts. I am thankful for this morning’s direction to Psalm 24:4, which then led me again to the promise of salvation, and this morning I adopt Psalm 51:7-12 as my prayer.
We all have many examples of brokenness in our lives, opportunities to improve. Each day, God gives us a renewed chance to choose to be willing to follow Him with our actions. May God bless you all this day.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:7-12 NIV
Lord, please give me discernment and wisdom and give me the strength to follow Your ways.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. In your name I pray. Amen.
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:6-10 NIV
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 NIV
7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.
9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:7-12 NIV
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory. Psalm 24 NIV
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they prosper who love you! Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!” Psalm 122:6
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6:27-28
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7
Timothy Keller, God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life, July 12, focusing on Proverbs 16:23 and Proverbs 22:11, but referencing other verses, including Psalm 24:4.
I need God in my life to keep me going on ♥️🕊️.God loves me unconditionally.🙏.
Oh Noelle, you are coming thru loud and clear this morning! I fell into the trap of using bad language when I began my Theatre career many, many moons ago. I've gone thru periods of being able to give it up for a time but it always came screaming back to haunt me especially in times of stress or anger.
I prayed for deliverance from this many times and God has finally answered my prayers! I finally realized what my filthy language was doing to God. The same tongue that I received the Blessed Sacrament on was the tongue being used to spew filth 😱 I began going to confession before Mass especially if I slipped and used bad language during the week. I have also begun receiving communion on my knees so that I may better venerate my Lord and Saviour in the reception of Communion and now do at least a 6 hour fast before receiving Communion if I'm attending an evening Mass.
I hate saying it like this but good did come out of my usage of bad language b/c my kids have all refused to use it but they are no longer home and I needed to clean up my act. I praise God for giving me this insight into how my language was hurting Him and pray that I may continue to "clean up" my language into the future!