Pure Heart – Pure Vision    

It is mind-boggling to think God came to be with us in the flesh.  In his first letter the Apostle John captured this miracle when he wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).

However, as incredible as it seems that God became one of us, the incarnation was not His ultimate objective.  Instead, as the humble Son, He became obedient to death – even death on the cross! (Philippians 2:8).  Then He was highly exalted and given a name above all names.  The Son came to earth to win our salvation.  This was the Father’s vision, and it must be ours too.

We seek a pure heart in order to see God, that we might comprehend what He sees when His heart breaks for lost souls.  This heart inhabits every recorded moment of Jesus’ ministry.  We find it in His compassion for sinners.  We hear it in His parables of the lost sheep and coin (Luke 15).  We find it in the portrayal of the lost son’s father who proclaimed, “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).  Then, at the very end, Jesus forgave a crucified thief and mediated the sins of His killers” (Luke 23:24).  Can there be any doubt where God stands when it comes to sin and His passion for our redemption?