Casandra Martin

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

I am a big fan of clean water. We have a filter on our sink, on our fridge, and a filtered pitcher that stays full and cold. We encourage everyone in our family to drink lots of water. Good, clean, pure water is the foundation for good health.

A good, clean, pure heart is the foundation for good spiritual health as well.

Pour yourself some water in a tall, clear glass. Sit down and really look at it. What do you see? If it is really pure water, the answer is that the water is transparent. Clean water allows you to see through it.

Now add some soap, a dollop of grease, a little dirt, some coffee grounds, a couple of drops of food coloring, and whatever just came in on the bottom of your son’s shoe. How does it look now? What do you see? Want to take a drink?

That glass is a picture of your heart. Jesus fills us with living water. It is pure and clean, straight from the heart of God. The contaminants are the things that we let into our lives through television, music, books, friends, Facebook, and our own imagination. We think that one television show, one song, or one conversation doesn’t affect us, but remember the glass of water. It doesn’t take much to change good, clean, pure water into something undrinkable.

What we need is a filter. Every drop of water I drink goes through a filter. That is a good picture of what my heart needs as well. Every piece of my life needs to be filtered through the person, message, and grace of Jesus Christ. He will remove the impurities, clean out the dirt, and stop the junk from infiltrating my heart and polluting my soul.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be as vigilant about my heart as I am about my water. The Bible, prayer, worship, service, and connection to God’s family are all filters that help me maintain my purity. I want my life to be transparent so that others can see God. The neat thing about pure water is that not only is it transparent, it is reflective. When we walk with pure hearts, we can see God’s reflection and others can see Jesus through us.