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Presented by Julie Busteed
I’ve been reflecting on some of Jesus’ sayings—his proverbs—and I’ve noticed how often they return to the posture of the heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). That raises an important question: what does it mean to have a pure heart?
We often assume a pure heart means doing everything right—appearing polished and put together on the outside. But that kind of purity is rooted in our own striving, and it doesn’t work. It doesn’t last. It isn’t sustainable. Scripture tells us the truth about our condition:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9).
Have you ever surprised yourself with your own reaction—something you said, thought, or felt—and wondered, where did that come from? It wasn’t how you wanted to respond, yet it was real. The human heart is complex, deceptive, and difficult to understand. But when our hearts are turned toward purity, this posture gives the Holy Spirit room to work in us and through us.
What difference does a pure heart make in the workplace? It shows up in genuine joy when a coworker receives a promotion or praise. It looks like helping others even when it doesn’t advance your own position. It means refusing to gossip, choosing authenticity, and living with integrity when no one is watching.
The right heart begins with humility. Scripture often speaks of a broken or crushed heart as a picture of humility. This kind of brokenness is essential, because a hard or stony heart will not submit to God’s will. We pray with the psalmist, create in me a clean heart, O God (Psalm 51:10).
Jesus promises it is the pure in heart who will see God. And when we invite Christ to dwell in our hearts, everything changes. This is why Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is such a powerful one to pray:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16–19).
Oh, that you and I would know this love—love that surpasses everything else—and be filled with it. Press on. Don’t be discouraged. The work God is doing in the heart is often slow and unseen, but it is never wasted.
