Righteousness is not to be confused with charity or good deeds. The person with clean hands is blessed of God with righteousness. It encourages us to be true only to ourselves and our goals, the epitome of selfishness and it tells us to write our own definitions of truth.īible Teacher, how can I keep my hands clean and my heart pure. Our world tells us to check out our attitude as being a personally acceptable option. They defile Gods instruction on sexuality, they degrade marriage by installing revolving doors in their bedrooms and they litter the landscape with the tattered remains of their families. The more they are paid and the more popular they become. The more filthy people are in their speech and philosophy, the higher positions. Today our society chooses dirty people and places them in the highest positions. Dirty hands had to be promptly washed and the dirty person was reprimanded. When we were in elementary school the teacher would go around and check hands and fingernails in the morning. Jesus opened a way for our cleansing and now we come in His merits and by His invitation. He could stand in Gods presence the same way we do by Gods grace. David sinned and reaped bitter results in his life. Selah.ħ Lift up your heads, O ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors, and the KingĨ Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.ĩ Lift up your heads, O ye gates even lift them up, ye everlasting doors and the Kingġ0 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. 12:14 1 Peter 1:22 Ps.The Blessing of Clean Hands and a Pure Heartġ The earth is the LORD’S, and the fullness thereof the world,Ģ For he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods.ģ Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?Ĥ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,ĥ He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God ofĦ This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Do I seek to imitate Your holiness, Lord? Help me by Your Spirit to overcome the pressures of the world and the fiery darts of Satan, that I might keep myself unspotted from the world as You have commanded me.It is no wonder that David wanted a clean heart, and a right spirit. If purity is the Robe of Heaven, the righteousness of Christ, then I want to diligently strive for purity. Lord, I know that one day I will see the fullness of Your divine essence in the face of Jesus Christ.I am so thankful that Your Spirit who lives in me overflows with pure water, so that as I live in obedience and holiness, these same rivers of eternal life may flow from me to others who need to drink from that fountain of living water. Any association with that which is filthy contaminates me. In Adam I have been polluted, but in Christ I am purified. Rather a pure heart aligns itself with the will of a pure, just, and holy God and the truth of His Word and seeks to honor, obey, and adore Him.ĭo you wish to see God? Then, to echo James… “cleanse your hands and purify your hearts.” Blessed are those who have purity in their minds and consciences, in their thoughts, wills, and affections.”Ĭlean hands and a pure heart make no allowance for living a double life or participating in any duplicitous or deceitful behavior. Jeremiah Burroughs said, “By the heart we are to understand not only the will or affections, but all the faculties of the soul - the mind, conscience, and thoughts, all is to be understood by heart. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind,” (James 4:8). James supports both of these passages when he says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Who does not lift up his soul to what is false, Psalm 24:3-4, the Old Testament complement to the New Testament beatitude of Matthew 5:8, elaborates on what that means: But what exactly does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart? What does that look like? In fact, Habakkuk 1:13 says “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.”įor this reason, our only hope for entering the presence of a just and holy God is to pray as the psalmist, “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Ps. God, on the other hand, is infinitely pure by nature. And by nature, our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. God knows our real character is revealed not by what we do or say, but by what’s in our heart (Matt. Why, then, do we consider entering the presence of a just and holy God without first tending to that which matters most to Him – the condition of our heart? It would be completely unthinkable to appear before a monarch or a king without giving utmost consideration to cleanliness and a top-notch appearance. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God,” (Matthew 5:8)
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