"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.
Blessed people are happy people. And those who are pure in heart are happy because they don't let any evil into their hearts that would make them unhappy.
Instead of having a heart that is full of impurity, unthankfulness, unbelief and evil suspicions about others, they have pure and good thoughts—thankful thoughts and thoughts about how they can bless others. They also don’t allow any thoughts of selfishness, impurity, doubt and worry to come in.
How do I get a pure heart and keep it that way?
You could talk to a hundred people and they will all say they want to be happy. But not everyone is willing to do what is needed to keep their hearts pure. Getting a pure heart and keeping it doesn't happen by itself. To get a pure heart I have to put my life in order with God and people. But purity doesn’t stop there.
It is written in Psalm 119:9 (NLT): "How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word." God's Word tells me how to keep my heart pure all my life. It is not complicated to begin living a pure life. For a start, just take one simple verse and start obeying it, like this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT), "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Think how happy I will be in one month if I am thankful in everything! And then in one year and then in ten years? Just think about the end of a long life with a pure heart that is full of thankfulness, where I’ve started to make the right choices while I’m young!
In every situation I have to make choices about how I react to other people, what I do with my free time, and what thoughts I allow into my mind. God's Word gives me a direction for my life and helps me make the right choices in all my situations.
The end of a life lived in purity
David said in Psalm 23:6, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." This is what a life looks like when you live with a pure heart. Then you only become more and more happy!
Not only do goodness and mercy follow me all my life, but I will also receive eternal happiness and blessedness together with Jesus and the saints. This is truly a life worth living—a life with nothing evil in my heart and no regrets!
