A Purified Heart

Chuckle: "if you want the world to beat a path to your door, try taking a nap on Saturday afternoon."

Good Quote: "He (Jesus) gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse (purify) us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right." (Titus 2:14 NLT).

A PURIFIED HEART

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me'" (Isaiah 6:8 NIV).

Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9 NIV). We can only see God as He chooses to reveal Himself to us, and He does so through His Word and the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Christ, we can see and understand God's will for our lives. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus says it takes a pure heart to see God. "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." You can read your Bible, attend church services every time the doors are opened, and even spend time in prayer, but if you are harboring sin in your heart, you do not have the capacity to see God the way he wants to be seen. When, however, you allow God to purify your heart, you will have an encounter with Him that will change your life forever.

In Isaiah 6, God chose to appear to Isaiah in the temple. When Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he became aware of his sinful condition and repented of his sins. God cleansed him of sin and purified his heart by having a seraphim touch his lips with a burning coal. Immediately, Isaiah began to see and hear things he had never experienced before. Then he began to understand the mind of God and his plan to have a special messenger take his message to the people. Once Isaiah began operating with a pure heart, he was able to say to God, "here am I send me."

Once Isaiah was cleansed and purified, he became a vessel that God could use. Isaiah understood God's desire to communicate with his people and how he fitted into that plan. Once he became sensitive to the call of God on his life, he was prepared to say "Lord, I'm available! What do you want me to do?"

If you have become preoccupied with the things of this world. If you have drifted away from God and his activities are no longer a priority in you life, perhaps you need to let God forgive you, cleanse you, and purify your heart. This purifying experience is available to every Christian for the asking. One of my very favorite verses of Scripture reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9 NIV).

Do you have the joy you once had in your life? Are you excited about the things of God? Do you have a genuine desire to be used of God to influence others? If you answered "no" to these questions, I encourage you to allow God to remove the impurities that hinder your relationship with Him. Then you will see Him in a new light and your service to him will take on new meaning and be a source of great joy and fulfillment.

Love, Jerry & Dotse