To Be Pure in Heart

"Learning to Love our Fellowman"

"If you would see God, you must be pure... Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as a son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a winebibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are the pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the "God" or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him. Mark well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord's anointed leaders in his church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.

But in order to gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven we must not only be good but we are required to do good and be good for something. So if you would walk daily toward that goal of perfection and fullness of life, you must be schooled by the remaining four "articles" in the Master's Constitution for a perfect life. These beatitudes have to do with man's social relations with others:

Blessed are the meek. (already addressed)
Blessed are the merciful.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are they which are persecuted. (Matthew 5:5; Matthew 5:7; Matthew 5:9-10)

(Lee, "Decisions for Successful Living, 55-62)

I will continue a bit more on the PURE IN HEART...tomorrow...