A Heart of Purity

Yesterday, while I was strolling through Target, I ran into a friend of mine that I met last year in Bible Study. Her name is Dawn, and between her, her adorable baby daughter, Kallahan, and the other daughter I met, Killian - I fell in love with her family in a hurry. However, Dawn is my favorite - (the heart to heart conversations come easiest with her!).

Like many friendships, though, without a consistent meeting time, we didn't manage to meet up and catch up as often as we'd like. However, the beauty of true friendships is that those missed opportunities get overlooked in a hurry just as soon as you get together again. And, it leaves you longing for more times together. The ten minutes in Target just wasn't enough.

The thing about Dawn, is that after every encounter, I feel so incredibly encouraged. What a way to feel when you walk away from someone. So, when I read this devotional from Blackaby's Encountering God Day by Day - it made me think of Dawn......

All Things Are Pure

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. (Titus 1:15)

Your heart’s condition will be expressed through your life. It will be evident by your attitudes, your words, and your behavior. Jesus said that you can clearly see others only when your own eyes are unobstructed (Luke 6:42). If your vision is hindered by sin, you will not look at others properly.

If your heart is pure, you will approach life without malice. You will not question the motives of everyone around you; you will not doubt the truth of everything others tell you; you will not look for fault in others. Instead, you will look for the good in others, finding what is praiseworthy. You will not be naive or gullible, but you will seek what is good rather than what is evil. If your heart is pure, you will see others the way God sees them (Matt. 6:22).

If your heart is defiled, everything with which you are involved will seem corrupt as well. You will assume evil motives in others because you know what you would do given the same circumstances. You will be cynical about what you hear because your own words are deceitful. You will be drawn to evil people and evil things. How do you look at the words and actions of others? Are you critical of them? Are you judgmental? If so, ask God to purify your heart. Once He has, you will be free to see yourself and others as God does.