In 1877, Fannie C. Davison wrote these lyrics for a hymn that is now well known and loved:
Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; may I devote my life wholly to Thee;
Watch Thou my wayward feet, guide me with counsel sweet;
Purer in heart, help me to be.
Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; teach me to do Thy will most lovingly;
Be Thou my Friend and Guide, let me with Thee abide;
Purer in heart, help me to be.
Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; that I Thy holy face one day may see;
Keep me from secret sin, reign Thou my soul within;
Purer in heart; help me to be. Amen.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." The idea here is that Christ wants us to have a clean or pure mind. This notion is stressed elsewhere in the New Testament - "Love one another fervently with a pure heart" (I Pet. 1:22). Generally, we think of purity as cleanness. Thus, we need to have an innocent or chaste mindset. This is not easy in the corrupt world in which we live.
However, there is more to be considered regarding the meaning of purity. Consider some alternative definitions of the word: not mixed, free from impurities, full-strength, free from foreign elements, containing nothing inappropriate, and of unmixed blood or ancestry (like a pure breed dog).
So, pure can refer to that which is clean, unmixed, or unadulterated. This is what God wants for our hearts! He wants our hearts to be clean, unmixed, and unadulterated with the wickedness and perversity of this life. But how? How can we develop pure hearts for the Lord? There are three points that I'd like to set forth as we endeavor to answer this important question.
1. KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS CLEAN.
If you are going to cultivate a pure heart for the Lord, you must keep your thoughts clean. I believe the key to accomplishing this is by keeping a tight reign on what is allowed into your mind. Consider Philippians 4:8 - "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." Those inspired instructions sound simple, but the weakness of our flesh makes it a challenge to faithfully follow. God wants us to concentrate and focus our attention on good, wholesome thoughts. He wants us to meditate on such. This will help us cultivate and protect a pure mindset. The world wants us to warp our minds (as they have already warped theirs) with things that are false, unjust, and impure. It's our responsibility to choose to keep our minds clean.
If a person makes a habit of eating lots of junk food, it will affect him negatively, and his health will gradually deteriorate. Likewise, if a person makes a habit of ingesting filthy thoughts (e.g., perverted jokes, pornography, profanity, etc.), it will affect him, and his spiritual health will decline. The best way to maintain a mind free of corruption and defilement is to never allow corrupt, defiled thoughts an entrance into our hearts. Realistically, we will not be able to shield ourselves from all filth. However, in that case, we should do our best not to give a home or resting place to the impure or illicit thoughts. If we are successful in this, we will be better equipped to avoid the corruption Jesus described in Mark 7:21-23 - "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil things come from within and defile a man."
In a world that often glories in immorality, we would do well to show some discernment in the things we watch and read. We are expected to do so, and whether we will "see God" or not will depend on it (Matt. 5:8).
2. KEEP YOUR MOTIVES PURE.
If you are going to develop a pure heart for the Lord, you must also keep your motives pure. We must not pretend to love God; we must actually love Him. We must not pretend to be compassionate and friendly; we must actually be compassionate and friendly. We must genuinely love our neighbors and want to do good for them. We must sincerely love our spouse and children and serve them faithfully. "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40). We must endeavor to obey God for reasons that are entirely right, rather than letting ulterior motives creep in (cf. Matt. 23:5-7; Phil. 1:15-17).
True character is how we behave when no one else is watching. It is sometimes difficult to do good with no taint of impure motive. Pride and prestige are two of the rewards sought by those who do good without proper motive. A man may do a good deed not because of the good it does for another but so that he will look better to others and others will brag on him and talk about how wonderful he is. A good test of motive is to ask the question: What good things do I do when there will be no knowledge of it by others? If I only do good things when others will see me and praise me, but not if no one else will find out, that suggests improper motives.
We must try not to let our love for God be stained with love for the praise of men. To be complemented and encouraged is fine, but such must not be the reason why we seek to do good. We should do good for others that they may glorify our Father in heaven--not us (cf. Matt. 5:16). In the absence of human praise, those with pure motives will still seek to do that which is right and pure.
3. KEEP YOURSELF COMMITTED.
If you are going to cultivate a pure heart for the Lord, you must keep yourself committed. To be genuinely committed to something requires mental devotion and not just a certain physical action that is practiced as a habit.
In a physical sense, we desire that our drinking water be pure (i.e., free of foreign elements). We do not want it contaminated. We want our water to be exclusively water. To be pure in heart demands that we be single-minded in our devotion to God. We cannot allow ourselves to become distracted or contaminated with the world.
Our goal should be to "bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:5). Controlling some or even most of our thoughts is not the aim. We should endeavor to be in complete control of our thoughts and desires (knowing that failure will sometimes be inevitable). Our desire should be to uproot any weeds in our life that might compete with our dedication to the Lord (cf. Matt. 13:22). We, like the Israelites of old, must not have any other god before Jehovah (Exo. 20:3). The Lord must be our chief priority if we expect Him to accept us! For the children of Israel to embrace another god was to be impure. For a Christian to have uncertainty regarding his top priority in life is to be impure. We must love God and be dedicated to Him with every fiber of our being (Matt. 22:37,38). There is no other way to purity than the way of absolute commitment! In this sense, God wants us to be narrow-minded because such is pure.
If our dedication to the Lord waivers, our purity becomes tainted. If we set our relationship with the Lord aside in times of great blessing or when we are too busy or preoccupied, have we not become adulterous in our thinking? "Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God...Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:4,8).
We will not be able to "see God" (Matt. 5:8) if our loyalty is divided between God and the world. If interest in other things conflicts with God's will or purpose for our lives, and we say "no" to God and "yes" to anything else, we will be lost! Our Lord Himself said - "No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). Jesus also stated in Matthew 12:30 - "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." It is unfortunate that some Christians have not really made up their minds about the degree to which they follow God and sacrifice for Him. Thus, their heart is not really pure. Being pure in heart requires total commitment to God. If one wants to do something properly, he should do it with all his might (cf. Eccl. 9:10). Such is true regarding commitment to the Lord. Don't be a Christian with fluctuating commitment. Decide to serve the Lord mightily and follow through! When you stumble spiritually, get back on the right path as quickly as is possible.
To be holy for God demands that we be wholly (or entirely) His! We must be reserved for His will and His work every day of life that He grants us. Such is possible if we don't make excuses for anything less. Our present world runs at a frantic pace, and they want us to get on board with the multiple distractions and demands of modern-day life. I cannot think of anything more difficult than having one's heart firmly fixed on One Thing (i.e., Almighty God), but that is what we must do. Saying "yes" to the Lord and His will means saying "no" to a lot of other things--things that often are not even wrong in and of themselves. Tragically, I believe that many will not go to heaven simply because they have never fully made up their minds to go, but those who will "see God" are those who are focused by faith on the Lord with wonderful dedication and have determined not to be sidetracked from life's true purpose. They have found the key to eternal success and victory, and the daily confidence that it brings. Jesus Christ holds that key.
Friends, I believe the key to a pure heart is keeping one's thoughts clean, his motives pure, and staying committed to the Lord. Let us strive for a pure heart daily and petition God for help.
Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; may I devote my life wholly to Thee;
Watch Thou my wayward feet, guide me with counsel sweet;
Purer in heart, help me to be.
Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; teach me to do Thy will most lovingly;
Be Thou my Friend and Guide, let me with Thee abide;
Purer in heart, help me to be.
Purer in heart, O God, help me to be; that I Thy holy face one day may see;
Keep me from secret sin, reign Thou my soul within;
Purer in heart; help me to be. Amen.
Thank you for listening, and may the Lord bless you as you strive to do His will.