Psalm 101:3 – Becoming Pure

“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.”
Psalm 119:9 (ESV)

Purity of heart is the lens through which we see God. Not only is it the desire of every true child of God, but it is also attainable! The simplicity of the above verse (Psalm 119:9) is powerful and keeps it within reach of every believer.

“Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8

It is in our daily decisions that this purity of heart is walked out. No amount of fleshly striving can accomplish the purity that will allow us to behold the Glory of God. Psalm 119 is written by one whose sole delight was meditating on His word and honoring it.

“Blessed is the man… whose delight is in the law of the Lord;
And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2

Becoming Pure

David sets before us the path to keeping our way pure; by “guarding it” in accordance with God’s Word. I have discovered that whatever I engage myself in influences my desires. Undue attention to politics, world events, hobbies, a sports team, or ungodly pursuits will all shape my thought life. If I hold unforgiveness, bitterness, envy or strife, I blind my heart and stagnate my progress in God.

“Commit* thy works unto the LORD,
and thy thoughts shall be established.”
Proverbs 16:3

Albert Barnes, in his definition of the Hebrew word translated “commit”,  gives us an insight by which we overcome the distractions that can hinder our growth and progress in the Lord.

*“Commit – literally, as in the margin, as a man transfers a burden from his own back to one stronger and better able to bear it…” – Albert Barnes

Hear our Saviour calling to us:

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
and He shall sustain thee…”
Psalm 55:22

One requirement is simple and yet profound: obedience. By keeping His Word, reading it, cherishing it and DOING IT, we receive the benefits of a heart that grows in purity; in that growing purity, we see God more clearly. (Matthew 5:8).

Obedience is the lamp by which we see His Face.

True obedience by its very nature is sacrificial. It is the way of the cross that leads us into the footsteps of the Son and entrance into the growing dynamic of His life in us. To obey, we must lay aside our will for His. By choosing His Word and His Way over our own, we WILL discover His provisions.

Psalm 101:3 – Becoming Pure

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.”
PSALM 101:3

By taking heed to His Word, I am establishing my thought life and the temper of my heart. In embracing such a powerful truth, I destroy the lust and corruption of the carnal man.

We become what we behold.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image
from one degree of glory to another…”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

How simple are His ways. In the keeping of His Word, we grow in righteousness and peace. In the keeping of His Word, we are freed from the wages of sin and death! Obedience is the path to purity.

“Seeing ye have purified your souls
in obeying the truth through the Spirit
unto unfeigned love of the brethren…”
1 PETER 1:22

Only a “purified soul” can express the authenticity of His love. The “love of the brethren” is the distinguishing characteristic of an obedient heart.

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
1 John 3:14

“This desire for heart purity
is a creation of the Holy Spirit
at work in the heart.”
Duncan Campbell

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Brian Troxel