Motivated by what God has done…

Why is it that so many preachers or devotional writers focus on telling their listeners or readers what to do rather than glorifying Jesus for what He has done? It is the love of Jesus that motives godly responses. I’m rarely charged up by another sinner shaking their finger at me.

My first reading today was all about my need to follow Jesus. So were other readings. One of them quoted this passage: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend … I have called you friends.” (John 15:13, 15), and then used it to tell me I need to lay down my life for Jesus. That is true, but that is not what these words say. When my heart and mind are filled with the wonder and glory of God, responding easily follows. What folly to put the cart before the horse so why make this cart pull the load instead of the Lord?

One reading says what I always need to hear. It begins with, "Oh, what a Savior He is. Words can never express His mighty power to save! I never felt so utterly weak in myself, but Jesus is strong, and He is mine, and He saves me now. Praise His Name!"

A few lines later, the writer says, “Every moment, Lord I need the cleansing of your blood. And every moment, Lord, I have the cleansing of your blood.” I do not mean here cleansing from the guilt of sin, but cleansing from the sin itself, that cleansing which makes me “pure in heart.”

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

Each day I need the good news of the gospel. My sins distract me from the reality of sins forgiven and from the power of redemption. It is knowing what is possible in Christ that gives me even the desire for purity of heart that He calls for, as well as the purity itself…

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)

Another reading says this: “God always answers the general design and intention of His people’s prayers, in doing that which, all things considered, is most for His own glory and our spiritual and eternal welfare. As we never find that Jesus Christ rejected a single supplicant who came to Him for mercy, so we believe that no prayer made in His name will be in vain.”

Such words edify, build faith. Telling me my duty is helpful only if I have decided not to do it and live as I want. But for the Christian who wants to live for Christ, His words of encouragement and reminders of what He has done for me always give me hope and the motivation to live for Him.

PRAY: Thank You Jesus for calling me Your friend and laying down Your life for me. Greater love has no one than this. Because of what You have done for me, I want to live for You and for the glory of Your name.

 

Purity of heart changes everything

 

This morning I woke up tired and heavy. A beloved cousin died yesterday and I felt as if a chunk had been cut out. When I came to my desk to start devotions with worship, I didn’t feel like worship, but selected four pages of praise songs to sing anyway. The first one, Be Still my Soul reflected my situation but not my feeling of heaviness. I sang as if a foreigner to the music. It is well with my Soul was in those pages as well as other ‘feel good’ songs. To my amazement, by the time I finished singing and praising God without feeling like it, that missing peace and joy came back. I should not have been startled when today’s devotional began with, “You have a part to play in becoming pure in heart.”

MacArthur says this purity is a gracious work of the Holy Spirit and that I must admit that I cannot do it myself. As Proverbs 20:9 asks, “Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? I must admit my helplessness. Inner peace and joy cannot be faked, neither can purity.

However, just as obedience to the habit and spiritual discipline of singing praises restored my sense of being okay in God’s care, certainly obedience to God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit is vital to purity of heart.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

So how do I purify myself? The Bible is clear that trusting in Jesus Christ is the major first step. As the NT says about all believers, Jew or Gentile, God makes “no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:9) This initial cleansing is followed by a life of faith, by walking in the truths God gives us as we trust Jesus:

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Walking in the light means seeking light from all that God reveals to us in the Bible.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9–11)

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

It is not enough to know those truths. As He says, I need to walk in them, live my life by them. Again, this is about obedience, about saying no to sin and yes to God in my actions. “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11) This is why singing praise songs, an act of obedience, could overcome the hole in my heart. God tends to walk through open doors and give us His joy as our strength even when we don’t feel like opening the door.

Turning from ‘poor me’ to ‘praise God’ is like having a shower that washes the heart, and “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

This isn’t about physical seeing but a deeper sense of His presence and becoming increasingly aware of His working in my life, about seeing His power and handiwork in the beauty and intricacy of creation, about discerning His grace and purposes amid trials, and about learning to praise Him no matter how I feel. It is also about seeing His sovereignty in all of life as He gives profound and eternal meaning to all events and issues.

Jesus, I am joyful because You are incredibly faithful. My dear cousin is still gone from this earth, yet even in grief there is joy, joy in knowing You are here with us who feel her loss, and joy that You give peace in surprising ways. Because of what You are and what You do, my way of thinking changes — and that is purity of heart. You transform me and I can share with others the power You have to change hearts and minds. I’m so grateful for Your amazing grace and for Your continued presence with Your people. Give me increasing purity that I can see You clearly and share You with others.

READ: Isaiah 6:1–8. Soak up the wonder of Isaiah’s vision of God. Take special note of how he responded to God’s what he saw.