The Happiness of a Pure Heart
Scripture Reading — Psalm 24:1-6
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Faith is not disconnected from happiness. If you imagine the Christian as sullen and gloomy, that is not what God has in mind. Happiness is a matter of the heart, and it has to do with holiness and purity.
As Psalm 24 says, those who have “clean hands and a pure heart . . . will receive blessing from the Lord.” They will be able to stand in the holy presence of the Lord. Or, as Jesus put it, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Yet we cannot be pure in heart without the saving work of Jesus. As Proverbs 20:9 makes clear, “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” Only Jesus can say that, and only he has made it possible for us to be purified so that we can live in the presence of God.
If we think that happiness lies in the pleasures that the world offers, we are mistaken. The attractions of the world may give pleasure for a moment, but they do not satisfy the heart forever. The blessed are not people who give free rein to their passions. The blessed are those whose hearts are made pure through the power of God in Jesus Christ.
Indeed, they are abundantly blessed because God is the one who purifies them. They are truly and eternally happy!
Majestic God, you are the only source of true happiness. I ask you to purify and renew my heart in holiness. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Hernandes Lopes
Hernandes became the Portuguese ministry leader for Today's sister Portuguese ministry in 2010. He also serves as the director of the organization Luz Para o Caminho (Light for the Way), an organization formed in partnership between ReFrame and the Presbyterian
Church of Brazil. Hernandes has authored more than 160 books and is a popular and respected conference speaker in Brazil. Hernandes graduated from Seminário Presbiteriano do Sul in Brazil and earned a Doctorate of Ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary in
Jackson, MS.
Hernandes and his wife, Tinha, have two adult children.
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