Getting Back to Purity

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

This is a beautiful promise that has captured my heart the last few days. The pure in heart shall see God. How exciting! As I pondered this, I wondered what it looks like to be pure. It’s not just the chastity model so many of us have learned, nor is it all about abstinence or determining how far is too far sexually. Purity of heart goes deeper than sexual purity, and while sexual purity starts in the heart, true purity encompasses much more than this. Jesus teaches that what one speaks comes from his heart and defiles a man (Matt 15:18), and Paul admonishes us not to allow unwholesome talk to escape our mouths since this violates purity. At another time, Jesus compares harboring unjust anger towards one’s brother to the Old Testament command about murder saying, both will lead to “danger of the judgment” (Matt 5:21-22).  This, too, violates purity, and there are many other violations of purity noted throughout the Scriptures. With each of these issues, purity is not necessarily about abstinence or pushing boundaries. Purity ultimately is a condition of the heart. 

I believe that the secret of living with a pure heart is found in Matt. 6:1-4. In these verses, Jesus warns the multitude of doing good deeds before an audience as many of the religious people did at the time. He encourages them that the Father will reward a good deed done in secret, and it’s a far better reward than the momentary praise of men.  This passage speaks of motives.  Ask yourself: what is the motive of your heart in pursuing purity? Is it to please your family, significant other, or pastor? Is it to follow the “rules” to ensure you have a place in heaven? Are you trying to put on a good show for those around you? Or are you honestly living to please God? How you answer the motive question will determine whether you are truly pursuing purity or living for a fleeting reward. If you are truly living to please the Father, then purity will no longer be a matter of what you can or can’t do. You won’t even want to go near those things if you think for a second that you could bring displeasure to His heart by engaging in them. Walking with a pure heart is seeking to please the Father in whatever you do.  This leads to the fulfilled promise of seeing His face. 

Psalm 24 speaks of a generation that will seek the face of the LORD, a generation who has clean hands and a pure heart, the generation of Jacob.  This generation will be pursuers and lovers of purity made up of those who have counted the cost and still find Him worthy. When we pursue purity, we pursue the heart of Jesus for He is the only one truly undefiled. Jesus lived to please the Father, and in doing so, He walked untainted within this world. He didn’t compromise for the sake of relevance, but, in staying true to the call of the Father, He walked in obedience and stood out as one man among the nations of the known world.  Like Jesus, we all have a unique calling and destiny, and our walks of purity are going to be unique to how we are created by God, which is why it’s important for us to understand that purity doesn’t look one way. The Bible does point us on the same path towards purity with the stipulations and warnings it notes, and, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we should seriously consider and apply the prescriptions found in the Bible. Even so, the application may not look the same for everyone, and that’s where the understanding of purity draws us back to our motives.  Purity looks like seeking to please God within the realm and community He has placed you. You express one aspect of God that no other person can, and you are beautiful in your uniqueness. Be that expression of God within that community without being afraid to stand out. Seek to please Him among whatever people He has placed you.
  
There is a line being drawn in the sand, and the people of God will have to choose where we will stand. We can no longer compromise, but, like Jesus, we can still remain relevant. He wasn’t relevant in the way the people desired, but He was still relevant through His obedience, and it changed the history of the world. Let’s follow the example of Jesus, and get back to true purity. 

He Is Faithful to My Heart Part 3 - Strengthening My Love

I watched Evan Almighty for the first time a few nights ago with my sister.  I was hesitant to watch it after watching Bruce Almighty, but I was pleasantly surprised by what transpired in the movie. It isn’t a typical Hollywood movie and the humor suited my taste more than the average comedies produced these days.  What I loved most about the movie was how the screenplay echoed my walk with God.  Obedience is a difficult thing for every believer. When God asks us to do something, the difficulty often lies in the fact that these tasks 1) take us out of our comfort zone, 2) require us to give up something we’re holding onto, and 3) are too big for us to complete without Him (translation: the tasks are overwhelming).  These are just a few of the challenges we face in obedience.  However, He does nothing in vain or wastefully, and with every assignment He gives us, there is a purpose and there will be great fruit that will strengthen us and feed others.

My favorite quote in the movie is, “Let’s just say that whatever I do, I do because I love you.” I was ready to cry when Morgan Freeman (who plays God in the movie) says this. It struck a cord with so many things that are going on in my life right now. I’m sure the sentiment would be the same at any given moment in my life. The truth is that our walk with God in faithfulness and obedience is not easy. There is much pain and heartache that comes as we die to flesh, but there is also a joy greater than the deepest pain that is promised and available for us now. To me, this quote epitomizes the heart of the Father for us. It shows His faithfulness in drawing us to Him.  The things He asks of us don’t always make sense to us, but when we obey, we are given a deeper understanding of His love and being strengthened to withstand the times that are to come.  When Jesus speaks to the disciples about the signs of the end times, He warns: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13, NKJV).  Whatever God does, He does because He loves us. His directions to us increase our love for Him and for one another so that when lawlessness abounds, our love will be strong in Him.  He is faithful in growing our love lest it grows cold and we turn from Him. He does this through the commands He gives and the tasks He places before us to accomplish. They are not always easy, but in the end, they will help keep us abiding in Him. Each task He gives is an opportunity for us to strengthen our hearts in Him. Let us approach these opportunities with the surety of His faithfulness and love for us.

Complete Abandonment

What does it look like to be completely abandoned to God? Some would say those who smuggle bibles into restricted nations are completely abandoned. Others would say being on the mission field in a developing nation shows complete abandonment. Still others would say committing their lives to being before God in constant prayer is complete abandonment. I would agree with all of these to a point. But what is complete abandonment to God? Is it selling everything you own to give to those in need? Is it forsaking your dream to go into the ministry? I believe that your actions are not as much an indication of abandonment as your heart is.[1] We have so many ideas of what “good Christians” look like, how they serve, and the impacts they make. Many of these ideas are lies to keep us feeling worthless and falling short of reaching our potential and fulfilling our call in Christ. I’ve been sitting at home loving my family, but I want to be in Israel or doing campus ministry again. However, would that be living completely abandoned to God? See, the issue is our ideas must be submitted to God’s heart for us. I’ve been fighting the urge to do internships for different ministries in Phoenix. Why am I fighting it? Because it’s a fleshly urge. My body resists being “stationery” for long periods of time. My life has always been hectic. It thrives off of busyness. It wasn’t something Duke instilled in me. I functioned that way long before I moved to Durham. Now, I get to rest and it’s hard. Really hard.

So, what does it look like to be completely abandoned to God? The two greatest commandments are: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.[2]” Jesus also told His disciples that in order to be great in His kingdom, you must be a servant.[3] I believe complete abandonment is an internal state of the heart that has an ever-changing external expression. What does it look like to serve? That depends on who is being served at that time. If we always have our sights on loving God, we will be given many different opportunities to love our neighbor. Complete abandonment looks like fulfilling these two commandments by serving God and others wherever He has you right now. Look at your current situation. There is ample opportunity to serve. Ask God what He desires of you right now, and do it with your whole being. This is complete abandonment. You don’t have to give up a dream unless He requires it of you. You don’t have to sell your house unless He asks you to do so. Just be faithfully obedient to whatever He asks of you right now. For me, it’s being at home with my family and resting. This is my complete abandonment right now. Tomorrow, it might look different. Whatever it is, I’m going to try to do it with the fullness of me. It’ll be my offering to Him.

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[1] 1 Samuel 16:7

[2] Matthew 22:37, 39

[3] Matthew 20:26

Few Find It

There is a way that leads to God. Few people find it. Jesus urges His audience to enter through the gate that leads to this path. In Matthew 7:13-14, He says: Enter by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Two things struck me as I typed this verse: 1) it is our natural tendency to walk towards destruction, and 2) the narrow gate is full of offense. Webster’s Dictionary defines offense as the following:

1 a obsolete : an act of stumbling b archaic : a cause or occasion of sin : stumbling block


2 : something that outrages the moral or physical senses


3 a : the act of attacking : assault b : the means or method of attacking or of attempting to score c : the offensive team or members of a team playing offensive positions d : scoring ability


4 a : the act of displeasing or affronting b : the state of being insulted or morally outraged 


5 a : a breach of a moral or social code : sin, misdeed b : an infraction of law; especially : misdemeanor

The way of God is offensive to the heart, the body, and the mind of men. It is offensive to the moral and social codes established in the world, because it brings the destructiveness and depravity of these standards into the light. When this happens, the heart of men is exposed. God did not leave us to navigate this road alone, but He extends Himself to show us the way. Jesus is the gate to this path, and Holy Spirit is the guide, while love is a budding staff on our hike to the Father. By love, we are able to enter into His presence and receive the pleasure He showers on us. Once Christ is received, another challenge arises. Jesus says two things that test the heart of the new believer and determines their ability to walk down this path:

The first: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?” – Luke 6:46

And the second: “If you love Me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” – John 14:15-16, 23

Rebellion and shame have been increasing in the hearts of men since The Fall. Jesus confronts these two issues in these verses. We rebel against the commands of God, thus rebelling against His very heart and nature. Our rebellion brings shame, because in our hearts, we know we were created for a higher way of living. We were created to enjoy the pleasure of knowing God. We hinder ourselves from doing so by continuing in the cycle of rebellion and shame. When we give ourselves to the higher authority of God, and not to the fleeting desires of our own hearts, we will begin to progress down this road of life. We are saved by repenting of our sins and making Jesus Christ Lord of our lives, but how many of us live out this salvation that we profess? If Jesus Christ truly is our Lord, why do we continue in our rebellion? Why do we fail to take His word and commandments seriously? Because our hearts have not connected with the God of the universe. He is love. We can only come to Him when we understand the love He has for us through believing in the sacrifice of His Son. From that point, we must make a conscience decision every day to live in obedience to Him. As we choose to live obediently, we choose to declare daily that Jesus Christ is our Lord. We’ve entered through the gate. Jesus hands us the budding staff of love and points us towards Holy Spirit who has been awaiting our arrival. With joy, He takes us by the hand and begins to lead us down a difficult path that is full of life and love if we choose to receive what He is offering. For many, they enter through the gate and are ridden with fear, regret, and shame. They are not able to take the first step, but Holy Spirit is ever extending Himself to them that He may help them overcome that first step towards love. If the staff goes unused, we grow cold. But, when we allow Holy Spirit to teach us how to use the staff, how to walk in love, then a growing passion drives us, as we are in the midst of the All-Consuming Fire. Jesus says, we show our love by obeying Him, by keeping His words, and walking in His command. Only then, are we able to touch the heart of God and enter into His joy in the center of His flaming gaze. Beloved, don’t hinder yourself from living a life of true passion and pleasure. It’s in Christ alone. In Him, you’ll be revived. I gave myself to His authority. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. From that point, love has flooded my life, and I am kept in His passionate gaze. When I stare into His eyes, I’m further in love and begin to realize the height of my worth. I walk down this path that is narrow and hard to find. It’s the most scenic path, not easy, but so beautiful. I chose to love God, no matter what comes. Love is obedience. I gave up rebellion for authority and shame for love. And, now my heart has been awakened. Offense comes, but it can’t stand before love, because I took up my cross and have found life in death.