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My husband and I were so blessed to stand and look over the hillside near Capernaum in Israel where Jesus was ministering these words to the people: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. . . . Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:6, 8 (NIV)
What a sight to see! Jesus was telling the people that there was a reward for those who would live their lives a certain way. The same applies to us today. The Amplified translation of The Bible tells us that righteousness is, “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!” The word “pure” is defined as, free from anything of a different or contaminating kind; free from foreign or inappropriate elements, being that and nothing else; clean, spotless or unsullied: untainted with evil; innocent.
I’m asking myself these questions, and I ask you the same:
Are we living in a way that we are right and right standing with God?
Am I hungry and thirsty to be right with God?
Is my heart pure?
Am I allowing things – what I watch, what I hear, what I read, and people I listen to – to keep me from being pure in my heart?
Are these questions hard? Yes! Are they necessary? Yes!
Ask God to reveal to you if there is anything in your life that is contaminating your heart and mind. Are there things coming through your eye and ear gates that are inappropriate and are stealing away your innocence and right standing with God? Could it be that WE are standing in the way of the blessings that God promises us?
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article courtesy of TheStreamingFaith.com
Daily Devotional: “Blessed Are Those” was originally published on praisecleveland.com
