Thursday SHINE....
Today's Reading: Mark 1:35-2:12
Good morning, SHINE sisters. I hope you have been seeking the Lord this week on what exactly it means to have a "pure heart".
I have intentionally laid low this week here on SHINE because I have been earnestly seeking Him about this very thing. Truly.
I've asked Him to show me several areas in my own life that could use some "shining" up in the purity department. We ask, we receive. :)
In the midst of all of this seeking of Him, He gave me some visuals of how we as fleshly humans have an innate desire and craving for purity.
Let me explain....
Our lives revolve around wanting the purest possible form of a substance. Like, water.
We drink water out of a bottle, because it has been filtered to it's purest form. We put filters on our tap water at home, to filter out all of the impurities.
We also try to eat pure. We wash our fruits and veggies and scrub the impurities off. We look for food with no pesticides or hormones added.
Most of the cosmetics in the stores have labels that read: Pure and Natural.
Even when we travel, we look for destinations that have clear, pure, blue water, and white (pure) sand.
We are attracted to a beautiful snow fall because of the white blanket of purity spread over the Earth.
Do you see how our spirits have this craving for purity?
However, we often neglect the greatest purity of all....
Purity of the heart.
The kind of pure that nobody else can see--except for God.
The bible says: "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34
If there is impurity going on in our hearts, you can be sure that it will be overflowing from our mouths.
So, the question is: How do we maintain a pure heart in a world that is anything but pure?
I imagine it like this...
As soon as we roll out of bed, we need our spiritual filter on. We need our hearts, our minds, and our bodies armored with this filter.
The dust, filth and impurities of this world will fall straight on our hearts and bodies if we are not covered with our spiritual filters.
What is our spiritual filter? His Word.
Knowing Truth sets us free and sets us apart.
When we know Truth, we don't willingly play in the mud, because we know better. His Word warns us.
When we know Truth, we are armed with Power to fight off the dust that longs to settle on us daily as we live in this fallen world.
Girls, we must filter out what we see, what we read, what we listen to, and what we choose to participate in.
We need to pray and ask God to give us sensitivity to these things that are saturating our pretty little hearts.
It's not an easy thing to separate ourselves from what "everybody else seems to be doing."
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13
Friends, maintaining a pure heart is taking that narrow road. It's standing out when the world is calling us to camouflage ourselves into it.
Purity looks different. It doesn't conform to the world. It conforms to God.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."Romans 12:2
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
I'm not sure about you, but I desperately want to "see God".
On the less crowded path to purity, our eyes will behold the greatest sight of all....the sight of God.
Are you up for a life long journey on the narrow path of purity?
Let's go.
putting on my filter,
jill
Good morning, SHINE sisters. I hope you have been seeking the Lord this week on what exactly it means to have a "pure heart".
I have intentionally laid low this week here on SHINE because I have been earnestly seeking Him about this very thing. Truly.
I've asked Him to show me several areas in my own life that could use some "shining" up in the purity department. We ask, we receive. :)
In the midst of all of this seeking of Him, He gave me some visuals of how we as fleshly humans have an innate desire and craving for purity.
Let me explain....
Our lives revolve around wanting the purest possible form of a substance. Like, water.
We drink water out of a bottle, because it has been filtered to it's purest form. We put filters on our tap water at home, to filter out all of the impurities.
We also try to eat pure. We wash our fruits and veggies and scrub the impurities off. We look for food with no pesticides or hormones added.
Most of the cosmetics in the stores have labels that read: Pure and Natural.
Even when we travel, we look for destinations that have clear, pure, blue water, and white (pure) sand.
We are attracted to a beautiful snow fall because of the white blanket of purity spread over the Earth.
Do you see how our spirits have this craving for purity?
However, we often neglect the greatest purity of all....
Purity of the heart.
The kind of pure that nobody else can see--except for God.
The bible says: "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34
If there is impurity going on in our hearts, you can be sure that it will be overflowing from our mouths.
So, the question is: How do we maintain a pure heart in a world that is anything but pure?
I imagine it like this...
As soon as we roll out of bed, we need our spiritual filter on. We need our hearts, our minds, and our bodies armored with this filter.
The dust, filth and impurities of this world will fall straight on our hearts and bodies if we are not covered with our spiritual filters.
What is our spiritual filter? His Word.
Knowing Truth sets us free and sets us apart.
When we know Truth, we don't willingly play in the mud, because we know better. His Word warns us.
When we know Truth, we are armed with Power to fight off the dust that longs to settle on us daily as we live in this fallen world.
Girls, we must filter out what we see, what we read, what we listen to, and what we choose to participate in.
We need to pray and ask God to give us sensitivity to these things that are saturating our pretty little hearts.
It's not an easy thing to separate ourselves from what "everybody else seems to be doing."
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13
Friends, maintaining a pure heart is taking that narrow road. It's standing out when the world is calling us to camouflage ourselves into it.
Purity looks different. It doesn't conform to the world. It conforms to God.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."Romans 12:2
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
I'm not sure about you, but I desperately want to "see God".
On the less crowded path to purity, our eyes will behold the greatest sight of all....the sight of God.
Are you up for a life long journey on the narrow path of purity?
Let's go.
putting on my filter,
jill
