Pure...

Pure...1-9-26

Psalms 51:10-12 says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." As I was praying this morning on the way to work, I prayed for God to give me a pure heart. It hit me immediately that human nature will contradict that prayer. There will be immediate responses that sometimes are not pure. I will have thoughts, feelings, and sometimes actions that will not be pure. They will not be spirit-led. Even though I pray for this continually, I am human. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." The MSG Bible translates this verse "There is not one totally good person on earth, not one who is truly pure, and sinless." Does that mean we don't strive for a pure heart? Absolutely not. As Christians, we seek a pure heart, we seek a heart like His. I am sad when I sin. I feel remorse and conviction, and seek God's cleansing.

As a science teacher, elemental substances are part of my daily curriculum. These are elements found on earth that in their natural state are pure. Examples are in the image above. When these elements are harvested from the earth, the impurities have to be extracted, seperated, refined, and processed. As Christians, we are refined and our imperfections are extracted. We are continually seperating ourselves from the worldly things that conflict with our desire for a pure heart. We are refined through trials. Isaiah 48:10 states, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction."

We are sometimes like the mixtures that I teach about. We have that pure within us, but the impure comes in and works to break our bonds, to re-arrange us. God, again, must purify us through trials and afflictions in order to grow our faith. 1 Peter 1:6-7, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." I heard our pastor say in Wednesday night Bible Study that he can see the growth each time trials come. I understand what he means. I can see my growth. Sometimes I cringe at the things I've done, the ways I've acted, the thoughts I have. I pray continually for a pure heart. In doing so, I completely understand and accept that I will be tested to purification. To that revelation, I will continue to be strong and say: "Create in me a clean heart, O God."  Psalm 51:7, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."