Matthew 5:8,9
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
There were, for me, two ways of looking at these verses.
One was a call for us, as disciples of Jesus. A call to seek purity in heart. There is a famous quote which says, ‘purity of heart is to will one thing’, that is the will of God.
The other call is to be peacemakers in this world, to follow the Prince of Peace by bringing His peace to a world with so much conflict.
The second way I saw these verses was in the light of the gospel. In Jesus, we are made pure. How wonderful is it that our hearts, so often a twisted tangle of knots, are made pure by the cross of Jesus. The gospel says that one day we will see God, and all will be gloriously well.
The gospel also crucially brings peace between us and God, which can flow into our relationships with each other. Through that peace, we are not only just forgiven, but adopted into God’s family as His children.
May you meditate on these precious truths as you go about today, remembering in this chaotic world that we have peace where it really matters, a peace that will one day be realised fully on earth.
David Lather
