008: Pure in heart

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

I think most of us would aspire to have a pure heart. I also think most of us do not have a pure heart. This is one of the many conundrums we encounter as humans. We aspire to do the right thing, to be pure, to be blameless, to love others, to be humble, etc. But then we get out of bed and life happens right? We think an impure thought, we say a bad word, we do something selfish, we get defensive, and so on.

This verse is like a dangling a carrot. It's as if God knows us and our need for proper motivation in order to change. Seeing God seems like pretty strong motivation to change. God knows we aren't going to change our bad habits and repent from sin unless we have both conviction and motivation. The Holy Spirit takes care of the conviction portion of the equation and this verse along with so many others can provide the motivation part.

Another aspect of successful change is having the support of the people closest to you. Combine that support with the conviction the Holy Spirit provides, the motivation the Bible provides, mix it up with some self-discipline and a metric ton of prayer and we have the necessary ingredients to affect change in our own lives. (Important note here, you cannot change other people. Don't try.)

What would motivate you to change bad habits and begin good ones? What would motivate you to deepen your relationship with God? Make a list of those motivations and then figure out how to implement those motivations in easy, visible, and consistent ways.