The Bible gives us at least six ways we can cultivate a pure heart before God. In this post we’ll look at the third way we can do that.
God says, if I’m going to keep my heart pure, then third, I need to read my Bible. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” If you want to keep your heart pure, you need a filter for your heart – and God’s Word is a heart filter. It filters out ungodly thoughts and attitudes.
Do you know what the lint filter is on your dryer? Well early on in marriage neither Kristin nor I knew that dryers had lint removers. We only discovered the lint remover because our dryer began to malfunction. When we removed the filter, there was this gargantuan pile of lint that had accumulated over the last year. I seriously could’ve fashioned a small pillow from all the lint. It was crazy! Well that filter captures the little fibers that fall off your clothes during the drying process. The filter removes them from the drying cycle.
This is what God’s Word does to the ungodly attitudes and thoughts that want to set up residence in our hearts. God’s Word filters them out.
- We might have a complaining heart if we’ve never read Philippians 2:14 which says “Do everything without complaining…”
- A bad attitude might take root in your heart if you’ve never read Philippians 2:4 which says “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
- Gossip might take root in your heart if you’ve never read Proverbs 16:28, “…a gossip separates close friends.”
You see, God’s Word filters out the sinful things that corrupt the purity of our hearts. This is why the psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” So make sure your only intake of God’s Word doesn’t happen on Sundays. God’s Word is an essential part of keeping our hearts pure.