Our text this morning is from the sermon on the mount, given by Jesus himself. Often referred to as the Beatitudes. In Matt:5 verse 8 we find this” blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. Do you want to see God?
Just a short time ago I heard you recite the Pathfinder Law and Pledge. In it I heard you say that you would be “pure” and kind and true. That was a pledge you just made. Do you have any idea what that means or how to go about keeping that pledge?
When we refer to pure water, what are we talking about? Unpolluted, yes. And since there is little of anything left on the earth that is unpolluted, we frequently drink bottled water or water that has been purified be some sort of filtering to remove the impurities.
So, if “pure “water is water that has never been contaminated, (as in melted glacier water from the polar icecaps) or contaminated water that has been purified to remove the impurities, let me ask you a question. Which had you rather have? Assuming you had a way to get it. Pure water, never contaminated? Or filtered water? Of course, we would prefer the purest uncontaminated. And you can apply that same reasoning to air or anything else that becomes polluted. I have with me a personal water filter. It says it will filter up to 100,000 gal. of water. But if you read on, that is from already clean stream or lake water. If I was filtering glacier water, I could probably get 100,000 gal. through it. But if I stick it into a mud puddle to get water, it will filter it, but will become stopped up in a gallon or less.
Now, back to our Pathfinder pledge. “I will be pure and kind and true”. And the beatitude, that says the “pure in heart shall see God.”
What does it mean to have a “pure heart”? And how does it become polluted? There could be a whole sermon on God’s filtration system, but for now let’s realize that when we talk about pure in heart, we are not talking about the organ that pumps blood throughout your body. What are we talking about? What do we mean when we love with all our heart? It is an intellectual or thought process. So how do our thoughts get polluted? By what we listen to, (music, audio books, jokes, you complete the list), by what we watch, (TV, moves, shows, you get the picture) interaction in online games, books that we read, all contribute to what we think about. Everything that we do contributes to our makeup, whether it is for the good, or evil. I am sure you have heard the saying, garbage in = garbage out. In scripture we are told “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” We are told that we need to “guard the avenues to the mind”. That is how it becomes polluted.
Ok. But when we pray, we ask Jesus to forgive us our impure thoughts and He does. Right? Yes, but the more you feed on impurities the less likely you are to spend time in prayer and asking Him to forgive. And really, if you go right back and do the same things, were you really sorry when you asked for forgiveness? Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “neither do I condom you. Go and don’t sin any more. In other words, don’t keep doing it. Stop. If you are caught by your parent playing in the street and they have told you not to, it is easy to say, “I’m sorry” and true, sometimes we forget. But if we go back to doing it as soon as they have gone back inside the house, are we truly sorry, or do we just not want the punishment for disobedience? Sooner or later if you get hit and killed by a car because you were not listening, it will be to late to say, “I’m sorry”.
Actions will become habits if repeated over and over, good or bad, but can be broken and replaced by new habits with some effort. Our thoughts however, cannot be erased. This is the reason people that have been to war and seen things that traumatized them are affected for life. With therapy they can be helped, but the scares are there. Even those that watch scarry movies tend to become desensitized, where nothing bothers them, or they become jumpy and jump at the slightest unexpected sound or movement. I have friends in both camps. Neither condition is desirable. Bad habits can be gotten over and replaced by good habits but impure thoughts will always remain with you, just waiting the opportunity to resurface. You can push them to the back of your mind but only God or Alzheimer’s will remove them. Young people, that is the reason it is best to have your own thoughts and not spend the time allowing others to dump their trash into your mind.
My wife and I read something the other day in a morning devotional book on prayer. It simply says that in our day, our adversary, the Devil, need only major in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. And the author is right. We have become so plugged in that if we are not listening to something, we can’t stand it. You stop someone to see about something or ask a question, and they have to unplug their ears first, listen to you, then plug back in. Are we afraid of silence? Maybe because it gives us time to have thoughts of our own? When we are plugged in, we are constantly thinking someone else’s thoughts. Are we afraid to allow the quiet that is required to have our own thoughts? Are we afraid that we might hear the “still small voice” speaking to us? It might have opportunity to tell us that we are filling our minds with rubbish? Satan knows that if he can keep us “plugged in” he has us for good. Not just because of the impurity of heart, the pollution we have allowed in, but because we will never hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit talking to us. We will never hear or take the time to ask to be purified, forgiven. “Noise, hurry, and crowds”. So true. We have got to unplug, slow down, find a quiet place with our Creator/Redeemer away from the noisy crowds or we will reap the consequences.
What are the consequences? Well, if the “pure in heart shall see God”, then I guess the ones that would not take the time to find a quite place to seek Him out now, would not be happy around Him throughout eternity. My understanding is that Heaven is not the fire escape that Satan tries to portray. You have to want to be there. Do our priorities show that we desire to spend time with Him now? Try unplugging for a time. If you’re not afraid of what you will hear. Yes, I know there are many good books out there you can listen to including the Bible and counsel given to Mrs. White by God. But take some time for your own thoughts, and to listen for that still small voice.
God rarely speaks above the roar and chatter. Throughout scripture we find Him speaking in a still small voice. He does not scream at us or to us. We must seek Him out, then listen to His voice.
Parents, Master Guides, leaders, try leading by example. Spend time unplugged. Spend time in prayer. If Christ, our example, Creator of the universe, saw the need to spend entire nights talking to His Father to get strength for the following day, what leads us to think that we don’t need it, or just simply don’t have time for it. We have the same 24 hours a day that He had.
What we spend our time doing, shows what our priorities are. What is your priority today?
Pathfinders, I pray your priority is getting to know Jesus better. Don’t be afraid to spend time with Him, and with your own thoughts so He can talk to you. Leaders, we need Him more than ever with the challenges that are ahead for us. Unplug, seek Him, and don’t be afraid to listen. You might be able to hear that still small voice and have some thoughts of your own. Imagen the possibilities.