How to See God

There is a longing we all know-
the longing to see God clearly.
We believe.
We pray.
We worship.
but distractions
pull us away from God.

Into that reality Jesus promises
some will be blessed to see God-
now in Christ
and later in glory.

But His promise is conditional.
It's for the pure hearted.

A pure heart is unpolluted-
a heart undivided.
The opposite of purity isn't dirtiness;
it's division.
A divided heart is pulled toward God
and toward a rival love-
an idol that replaces Him.

Idols demand
our time,
our affection,
our money.
They promise
comfort,
freedom,
and strength,
but give only bondage and decay.

When our mind is clear

we know their offers are illusions,
yet we cling to them-
knowing they divide our heart
and blind us to the God purity lets us see.

So cultivating a pure heart
means letting go of every idol
and replacing it with Jesus.

Purity comes from the Lord because He is pure.
His heart remained undivided
in temptation,
persecution,
rejection,
slander,
even death on a cross.

You may not know this about Jesus,
but it's Him we seek-not purity.
Because when we find Jesus,
we find purity.

Devotion to Him means looking to Him alone.
Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters,
for he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to one
and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24)

When we look to Jesus,
We're not looking at idols.
And as we look, He transforms us into His image.
Since He is pure,
His purity becomes ours.

Daily walking a few pages with Jesus
in the Gospels is walking with purity.
And walking with purity
gives us pure hearts.
And pure hearts
let us see God.
Amen.