Beatitude 6: Zoomed in on God

In the Beatitudes, God promises blessings to people whose hearts are pure because they see a clear picture of God. What does that all mean? Compare it to what it takes to get a good-quality photo. Sometimes, our phone cameras can still get a fuzzy picture because we didn't zoom in right on what we wanted to photograph. We’re stuck with an unclear image. Pure can mean clean and clear, like a completely focused picture. We become pure by being zoomed in on God.

In the Bible, “heart” means your emotions, thoughts, and attitude. So, when Jesus talks in Matthew 5:8 about people with pure hearts, he means people whose feelings, thoughts, and attitudes are entirely focused on God.

Jesus lived such a pure-hearted life. Because he zoomed in on God, he did exactly what his Father told him to do. People who met Jesus knew that God loved them. He forgave those who needed it, healed the sick, and invited the lonely into friendship. People who met Jesus saw a clear picture of God.

Proverbs 4:23 teaches us to protect our hearts because our actions flow from them. It’s like how the protective glass cover of our phone's camera guards it from dust or scratches. That way, the pictures will always be clear. So, how do we protect our hearts?

Paul teaches us in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.”

Hearts can be like cameras because they don’t always focus on the right things. These “whatevers” help keep our hearts zoomed in on God so we can clearly see a picture of him and show him to others.

Prayer

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