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August 30 His Pure Heart

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?” ~Proverbs 20:9 


Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for You. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, You were angry. How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We all shrivel up like a leaf, and like a wind our sins sweep us away…Yet, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hands. ~Isaiah 64:4-6 & 8

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. ~Psalm 24:3-5 

There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ~Romans 3:23-24 

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, what counts is a new creation. ~Galatians 6:14-16 

Oh Lord, I know that I am so unworthy. All my acts that I think are so good and so righteous still fall so short of the holiness you require for me to be in your presence. Yet, because of Your great love for all, even me, You did not want to be separated from me. So, you made a way, through Your death on the cross, to build a bridge to me, so that we could be joined again. 

The effort was all Yours. The acceptance was all mine. But even that was stimulated by You and Your love. I only love You because You loved me first! Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure?” No one can except for Jesus our Lord and Savior. Who can say, “I am clean and without sin?” I can now, but only because I have been washed in the blood of Christ my Savior! Jesus makes me clean!

Now, today, I may approach Your holy hill with Your clean hands and Your pure heart because You have put Your spirit in me. May we together experience Your vindication, for You are the one and only true God, who has endured much because of evil, but has also loved much because of who You are, love itself. 

Prayer: Thank You for Your guiding hand on my life. Thank You for inviting me to live with You forever, in Your Holy place. As I approach worship today, may my heart be full of all these thoughts, all You have done, and remembrance of all You have yet promised to do. Selah! And in Jesus’ name, amen.

Song: The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases 


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