Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
Psalm 24:3-4

Pure (katharos) = unmixed, unadulterated

Heart (kardia) = the orienting center of a person’s life

"Who are the pure in heart? Only those who have surrendered their hearts completely to Jesus…those who belong exclusively to God."
— Dittrich Bonhoeffer

"The purity of heart Jesus is describing is an all-encompassing orientation toward God. The real split is not between the inner and outer, but between God-serving and idol-serving."
— Glen Stassen

"Purity of heart is to will one thing."
— Soren Kierkegaard

To be pure in heart is to will one thing. And that one thing is Jesus.

Bottom Line

Jesus is to be the orienting center of our lives.

Things that can get in the way of an undivided heart toward God:

• Unrepentant Sin
• Negative Influences  
• Kids Activities
• Money
• Technology
• Politics

"When Christians are more conversant around partisan talking points than the Sermon on the Mount we demonstrate that our Christianity is secondary and a servant to our politics."
— Rich Villodas

But how do you stay undivided while juggling all the stuff of life?

1. Simplify
2. Stop juggling Jesus

Action Steps

Pray - Create some space to prayerfully reflect on the following:

• Do you want to pledge your full allegiance to Jesus?
• Where are you living a double life?  What areas in life make you feel divided?
• How would seeking Jesus through each of your responsibilities change things for you?

Practice:

• Say no to something this week in order to say yes to Jesus
• Trade some technology time this week to be with Jesus or serve others
• Identify one thing that is dividing you and make some changes