Blessed are the Pure of Heart

Heart Awareness

1 Samuel 16:7 "But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

This is perhaps one of the clearest scripture passages outlining the difference between our perspective and God’s perspective. The one sentence, “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” sums it all up perfectly.

Let me ask you this – If God, having heard your prayers and watched your activity, looked at your heart today, what would He see? I look at some of my own recent prayers. Then I compare them with my own activities and speech. I am almost too scared to ask the Lord to show me my own heart. I suspect we would all be somewhat similar.  It’s obvious to me that I need to clean up my own heart first before I even try to look at somebody else’s heart.

David, we read, was chosen by God not on any ordinary basis like looks or stature or bearing. He wasn’t chosen for his fine mind nor his exquisite songs or poetry. These are man-made judgement criteria. David was chosen because he was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)

Is your heart anything like God’s heart? I guess we all like to think so but surely our actions and words give us away for “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45. Again we are urged to “ . . . pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

Pursuing God is one thing, but purifying our heart before we do so is another altogether. I don’t know about you, but I sure need to clean up my own act a bit before I can even consider myself as having a purer heart.

Are you a man or woman “after God’s own heart”? My constant prayer is that one day I may be so.

How about you?