Blessed are the Pure in Heart
To the pure, all things are pure. (Titus 1:15)
Titus 1:15-16; Ps. 24:3-4; Habakkuk 1:13; Luke 1:74-45; Philippians 4:8; I Pet. 1:16; I John 1:7
What Is God Saying?
Paul writes to Titus, a younger minister in Crete, the seat of the Minoan civilization older than that of Greece. Titus had a great responsibility under difficult circumstances. He had served the church well in the ferment of crisscrossing cultures in Corinth. Paul wanted to encourage them to "further their knowledge of the truth which accords with godliness." (Tit. 1:1)
Purity does not come naturally to anyone, any culture, anywhere at any time. If we say we know God and our deeds are corrupt, we are not distinct. "To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure. They profess to know God but deny him by their deeds" (Titus 1:15-16).
How Does This Apply To Us?
Think pure thoughts and see beauty everywhere. Is this not a part of the blessedness in the Beatitude? "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" (Mt. 5:8). God can be seen or missed in the smallest details of everyday life: the rosy dawn over the sea, the colors of the first spring flowers, the hush of a star-lit night. "To the pure, all things are pure."
Pray With Me
O Lord, although I am human and troubled with errant desires, help me to grow to Your likeness. Let my eyes constantly seek what is good and true and beautiful. Let these eyes be so filled with Your glory and so satisfied with Your truth that there shall be no time to waste on what is impure. In weakness, I have excused myself. I have known the futility of arguing my defenseless case. Fill my vision with Your beauty in Jesus Christ, that my eyes see only that which is pure.
Bring Your purity to the letters I write, words I speak, and things I do. Set me free from scheming for advantage. Help me to see the good in others. I look for beauty and find the earth alive with fragrance and color at my feet. I listen to the song of the birds, and the air is filled with music. I turn in reverent wonder to the stars, and the heavens are aglow with the watchfires of the Eternal. O, I thank God that the blessings of pure thought and desire are as inexhaustible as eternity.
In the spirit of Jesus Christ, who sees and helps all who hunger for purity, I would learn that all things can be pure. And, to the pure, they are. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer centers our hearts on what is pure. When we consider the holiness of God, He brings to our hearts his grace. Loving Him purely, we come to love all pure things. Loving Him purely, we come to think about all things purely. Loving Him purely, we are not trapped by mixed loyalties. "To the pure all things are pure."
