Picture for a moment a tall glass full of water. We’ll call that our “heart”. 

Jesus promises a blessing for those who have a pure heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” 

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” ~Matthew 5:8

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And from our “heart” we pour this water into 3 smaller cups. We’ll call these, “thoughts”, “words” and “actions”. 

These three cups are on a display shelf for all to see. And the quality of the water in these three cups is dependent on the quality of water in the “heart”. 

As a result of our sinful nature, our water has things in it which make it detestable. Tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, milk, mustard, and soy sauce all mixed in and swirling around. It’s not sounding like the most refreshing drink after a long run. But these additions represent the sinful nature which we were born into. The selfishness, greed, lust, and hatred fill our hearts and contaminate the water. And our thoughts, words, and actions are receiving from the heart the same disgusting water. Not the most attractive display for onlookers.

This principle is illustrated in Luke:

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” ~ Luke 6:45

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Most of the world recognises the need to have clean water in their 3 cups. So they start scooping out the dirty water with their fingers (good works). The problem is, the cups are quickly refilled with the same water. Others have a religion, and so they pour in some soap (church attendance), swirl it around, and proclaim it clean. Still, others recognise that soap is not strong enough and so resort to hand sanitizer (service). Surely that would make the water clean! But no, it has no lasting effect.

In Matthew we find this verse: 

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” ~Matthew 5:8

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It’s clear here that in order to know God more, to experience more of Him, a purity in heart, not merely on the outside is required. One day we will see God face-to-face, but this promise is also for our life on earth, right now. God wants to reveal Himself to us, to dwell with us and recreate us in His image now! That is the grand theme of redemption, and it is the most worthwhile, rewarding journey for humans ever to embark on. 

And so, we are left with a very puzzling situation. 

In order to know God, we must be pure in heart, but our hearts aren’t pure, and so far nothing that we have tried has worked. And to top it off, the purity that God desires is different from the world’s definition. The world defines purity in keeping from things, people, or situations that could mar the character or physical body. But God desires purity of heart; the intents and hidden purposes which determine our thoughts, words, and actions. 

Isn't it wonderful that our God is all about dealing with the heart of the issue, He has a solution!

Remember the tall glass that we called "heart"? Instead of picking out the bad, God completely transforms the contents of the glass. With your permission, He picks up a jug, full of pure water, and begins to pour it into the tall glass. As He pours the clean water in, the dirty water becomes diluted. But He doesn’t stop there, He pours until the cup begins to overflow and in place of the tomato sauce, milk, and mustard, clean, fresh water fills the glass. And as the water overflows, the thoughts, words, and actions also begin to fill with clean water. But even then, unless the permission is retracted, God continues to pour. He pours out His love, life, and purity so that we can then pour into the lives of others and share the fresh water we have received.

In order for us to have a cleansing that goes deeper than the skin, deeper than our thoughts and reaches to the very intents of our hearts, we must receive the fresh cleansing water of God; His purity, His Righteousness. 

This blessing of seeing God can only ever come through receiving Him into our lives. It is when we partake of Divine nature that we begin to experience this cleansing of the heart.

Maybe you desire to know God in a way that you have never before known Him. This experience that we have illustrated is one that God wants to do in your life. He longs to pour into your life the clean, refreshing water of His purity and righteousness so that you may be both free from selfishness and a blessing to others. Will you let Him begin?