What Jesus Did! 'Pure Hearts' — Matthew 5:8

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

[Jesus continued:]
"God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God."
— Matthew 5:8 NLT

Key Thought

"Purer in heart, O God, help me to be ..." That's a powerful line of Fannie Davison's old hymn. Being pure in heart is also an amazingly pervasive theme in Scripture, whether articulated by the prophets, the psalmists, the wisdom teachers, Jesus, or the apostles. A clean heart is a signal of God's coming new age and is mandatory for true, authentic worship. Much of human life is tainted by duplicity and deception. Pure motives and an unspoiled heart are of utmost importance if we are to live the life of the Kingdom family. For those who are pure in heart, going to be with God is not a far journey, for they have sought to live with him every day. Going to be with God is simply the fulfillment of an ongoing passion to keep their hearts close to the Father's home.

Today's Prayer

O gracious and holy Lord, I know my heart can be deceptive and self-serving. But through your Holy Spirit, cleanse my heart, make your home there, and let your influence live there until I come home to be with you. I want my life to show forth my allegiance to you; I need your help as I seek to guard my heart from impurity, duplicity, and selfishness. Help me, O God, as I try to be pure in heart. Thank you, in the name of Jesus, your pure and perfect sacrifice. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

12 Related Resources by Heartlight

Matthew 5:8
Devo: Daily Wisdom
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
A Grey Sponge or a Pure Heart
Article by Teresa Bell Kindred
Do you really want to fill your sponge with grey water? Teresa Bell Kindred compares seeing Fifty Shades of Grey to a dirty mop bucket and a sponge.
My Counterintuitive Kingdom
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Beloved, Many mortals chase after so many things thinking that a fulfilling life will be found in those things... those pursuits... those..."
Our Need to Remember
Article by Phil Ware
Hopefully remembering the horrors can help us prevent them. Phil Ware uses Memorial Day to think about the cost of war and the ultimate sacrifice of a friend named Roy who lived through World War II, the assault on Normandy Beach and the Battle of the Bulge.
See All 12 Related Resources about Matthew 5:8

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 5:8 NLT — [Jesus continued:] "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Participants' (Ph. 1:3-11)
"Dear Father, Thank you for the great joy I feel about my fellow believers. Thank you for the partnership we have in your Son Jesus. Thank you that we..."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Lamentations 3:24
"It is not "The Lord is partly my portion," nor "The Lord is in my portion"; but he himself makes up the sum total of my soul's inheritance. Within the..."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Your Great Power' (Re. 11:17)
""We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.""

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!