Blessed, Part 6 Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Blessed, Part 6------------------------- Date: 9/5/2001 Keywords: "blessed" "merciful" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. This is part six of a nine-part series on the "Blessed" verses from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Passage: Matthew 5:3-11* 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Question What does it mean to be pure in heart?   Practical help To the Hebrew way of thinking, the heart (see verse 8 above) is not an independent, sentient faculty renting space in the body. On the contrary, the heart and body are unified and indivisible. What the heart premeditates, the body always carries out, for good or evil. So when Jesus, the exemplar of Hebrew wisdom, refers to the heart, he figuratively means the joint heart and body — not just the heart by itself. Thus the "pure in heart" are pure in action as well. They can't help but be, so inseparable are heart and behavior. The same idea also works in reverse. Folks who are pure in behavior are also pure in heart. This Hebrew view of a reciprocal heart and body is good news for porn strugglers. If you're battling smut, you now have two ways to give it the slip and join the ranks of the pure in heart (and body): 1. Rehearse pure thoughts; this will lead to pure actions. 2. Perform good actions; this will lead to pure thoughts. So can't keep your mind off porn? Just don't view it for a month, and you'll be surprised at how clean your thoughts become. Or can't keep away from porn sites? Just don't rehearse the visits in your heart ahead of time, and you'll be likewise surprised at how clean your actions become. To understand and practice these truths is to see what Jesus was saying and to see new purity in your thoughts and behavior. And yes, all this is to see God. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2001 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.