Devotionals
March 9 - Results of Obtaining Holiness
A devotional by Grace To You for reading on March 9th
“‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’” ( Matthew 5:8 ).
The great blessing of those who are pure in heart is “they shall see God.” Notice that it is only “they”—the pure in heart—who shall see God. Intimate knowledge of and fellowship with God is reserved for the pure.
When our hearts are purified at salvation, we begin to live in the presence of God. We begin to see and comprehend Him with our new spiritual eyes. Like Moses, who saw God’s glory and asked to see more (Ex. 33:18), the one who is purified by Jesus Christ sees again and again the glory of God.
To see God was the greatest hope of the Old Testament saints. Like Moses, David wanted to see more of God: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42:1–2).
Purity of heart cleanses the eyes of the soul so that God becomes visible. One sign of an impure heart is ignorance, because sin obscures the truth ( John 3:19 –20). Other signs of an impure heart are self-centeredness (Rev. 3:17), pleasure in sin (2 Tim. 3:4), unbelief (Heb. 3:12), and hatred for purity (Mic. 3:2). But if you belong to God, you will exchange all of those things for integrity and purity.
Ask Yourself
How have you “seen” God during long stretches of faithful, obedient living? If this is not your current experience, don’t you long to return to this kind of lifestyle—to the daily joys of animated, refreshing, ongoing interaction with your Lord and Savior? Take steps toward a fresh start with Him today.
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
Additional Resources- Download our app The Study Bible!
- John MacArthur’s complete sermon archive
- The MacArthur Study Bible
- The complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary series
The content above belongs exclusively to Grace To You - Daily Readings and is provided on HopeLife.org for purely non-profit purposes to help extend the reach of their ministry.
Copyright 2017 by John MacArthur. Used by permission from Grace to You.