Have you ever tried to clean something that was really dirty?

Maybe it was a stained shirt, a muddy floor, or a pan with food burned onto it. Sometimes no matter how hard you scrub, it feels like the stain just won’t come out.

Our hearts can feel like that sometimes.

When Jesus speaks about the “heart,” He isn’t talking about the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. In the Bible, the heart refers to the center of who we are—our thoughts, desires, intentions, and motivations.

And when we look honestly at our hearts, we don’t always like what we see.

We may do the right thing outwardly, but our motivations can still be mixed. We may say kind words, yet feel anger or resentment inside. We may want to follow God, but we also feel the pull of temptation and sin.

The truth is that our hearts are not naturally pure.

God said that King David was a man after His own heart. This wasn’t because David was perfect. It was because David was repentant and turned to God for mercy.

In fact, David once prayed,

“Create in me a clean heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:10)

David prayed those words after recognizing his own sin and guilt. He knew something important: we cannot purify our own hearts.

Only God can do that.

And He does.

God cleanses our hearts through Jesus.

Jesus did not come only to change our behavior on the outside. He came to deal with the deeper problem inside of us. Through His death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and our hearts are washed clean before God.

When we are baptized and receive faith in Christ, God gives us a new heart. The Holy Spirit begins to work in us, shaping our desires and leading us to live differently.

That work is not finished yet.

Even as Christians we still struggle with sin. Our hearts are still a battlefield between the old sinful nature and the new life God has given us. Yet God continues His work in us through His Word, through forgiveness, and through the work of the Holy Spirit.

God has cleansed our hearts by the blood of Jesus and little by little, He is changing our hearts and transforming our minds to be more like Jesus.

And Jesus gives us an incredible promise here.

The pure in heart will see God.

Even now, we begin to see God by faith.

• We see Him at work in His Word.
• We see His grace in the forgiveness of sins.
• We see His love in the cross of Christ.

But one day we will see Him fully.

When Jesus returns and the work of restoration is complete, sin will be gone forever. Our hearts will be perfectly pure, and we will stand in the presence of God with joy.

The thing Moses once feared—seeing God face to face—will become our greatest blessing.

Through Jesus, that day is coming. You will see God face to face.

That is a wonderful promise.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Our hearts are not pure on their own. Cleanse us through the forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ. Continue Your work in us through Your Word and Spirit, shaping our hearts and desires. Help us to look forward to the day when we will see You face to face.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.