Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
Psalm 24:4 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. (NRSV)
We have a system, most of us – a system that says that the little things don’t matter; the little compromises that we make … ahh, God won’t mind, they’re inconsequential. That’s our system. It’s not God’s system.
These days, it seems that just about anything goes – overspend on your credit card? Sure! A bit of creative accounting in remitting taxes? It’s only the government, why not?
The wife who wears that low-cut blouse to work to turn heads; the husband who leers after the women walking down the street; the young folk pushing and shoving in the shopping mall, in front of the older people to whom they should show a bit of courtesy and respect. Yep, these days it seems that pretty much anything goes.
Now you might say, “Berni, you’re just being old fashioned. Get with it.” But come on, we know that the things we do have consequences. They always have and they always will.
Can I share something radical with you? I mean, really radical.
Psalm 24:3-5 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. (NRSV)
Who shall ascend the hill of God and stand in His holy place? Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce, young people who show a bit of respect – people with clean hands and a pure heart.
Listen to me … those little compromises end up having catastrophic consequences. But there is a way: clean hands and a pure heart, with God as our helper. Which way do you choose?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Dyan Dunn
Thank you for the words! They made me realize that I truly need to live with clean hands & pure heart.
Thank you for the words! They made me realize that I truly need to live with clean hands & pure heart.