"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God!" Matthew 5:8 What a staggering promise! The highest blessing ever spoken to man: They shall see God! This is no mere poetic figure--it is the very hope of Heaven, the unveiled beholding of God in all His holiness, beauty, and glory! Yet this privilege is not granted to the mighty, the wise, or the religious--but only to the pure in heart. What does it mean to be "pure in heart"? It does not mean sinless perfection in this life, but rather a heart that has been cleansed by grace, and now sincerely longs for holiness. It is a heart that is no longer fixed on worldly trifles, and no longer pursuing sinful pleasures--but made single in its desire for God. It is a heart purified by the sin-atoning death of Christ, and by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Such heart purity is not man-made, but it is God-wrought--born in regeneration and nurtured in sanctification. While in this world of sin and temptation, the true Christian grieves over his remaining faults and sins. He longs for the day of death, when his sins and spots will be gone forever, and he will be as pure as the freshly fallen snow. He longs for the day when he will see Jesus, and be like Him. Having this wondrous hope, he strives to be as pure as Jesus. "They shall see God!" Not through a veil, not dimly or distantly--but clearly, directly, and eternally. To see God is to be forever satisfied, forever joyful, forever changed into the likeness of His blessed Son. In that moment . . . all sin will be gone, all sorrow swallowed up, and all longings for perfect holiness fulfilled. The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and God Him