Pure In Heart

 In a corrupt world, can there possibly be people who are pure in heart?  Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked:  Who can know it?”  Only Jesus was perfectly pure in heart.   Only Jesus was able to see God. “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.”  (John 1:18). 

 But Jesus was not speaking about himself when He gave us the beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).  He was speaking to us.  We are all sinners. The one sin that upset him the most was hypocrisy.  He would not tolerate people who lived a pretentious life.  Instead, he exalted authenticity and integrity. If we cannot be sinless, we can have authentic integrity.

 This may be what Jesus had in mind when he met Nathaniel and said, “behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”  It was one of the greatest complements Jesus ever paid any of his followers.  Nathaniel was true and authentic.  What you saw was what you got.  His secret conduct was the same as his conduct in public.   Speaking to Nathaniel, Jesus promised, “You shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

 A pure heart must be a heart filled with love.  Love’s definition in 1 Corinthians 13 gives us insight into what a pure heart looks like. “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails,” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

 Ultimately, a pure heart only comes from God. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh,” (Ezekiel 36:26).  Overcome with his sin and guilt, David cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me,” (Psalm 51:10).

 God has made provision for us that we can have a pure heart through faith in His Son, Jesus. John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure,” (1 John 3:2-3).

 If you want to see God, be authentic in your faith.  Confess your sins. Let Him purify your heart.

To Be Merciful

 Vengeance and retaliation are the themes of countless books and movies. Clint Eastwood portrayed it in Fist Full of Dollars, Dirty Harry and Unforgiven.  Liam Neeson followed suit in Taken and Cold Pursuit.  In recent years, vengeance and revenge have become a major theme in politics. If someone wrongs you, never forget. Get even.   In most of these stories, as in life, the path of vengeance does not end well. The anticipated satisfaction proves empty.  The hatred proves to be a poison that corrupts the soul.

 Jesus called for a more fruitful and rewarding path.  “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”  

 These words are central to his teaching. At the conclusion of his Lord’s Prayer, he reminds His followers, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,” (Matthew 6:14-15).  He shocked Peter by expanding his proposal to forgive seven times by saying, “not seven times, but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:22).  In the depths of agony on the Cross He demonstrated mercy toward His torturers, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34). 

 At the end of the Civil War the Army of Northern Virginia was trapped and starving.  Robert E. Lee had no option but to surrender to Ulysses S. Grant. They met in Wilmer McLean’s home at Appomattox Court House, the site where the war began almost 4 years earlier. Grant could have exacted vengeance and imprisoned the entire army.  Instead, he chose mercy. He paroled all 28,000 soldiers, fed the starving men, allowed them to keep their horses and return home.

We most often think of mercy as an option for the powerful toward the weak, the dominator toward the dominated, the conqueror toward the conquered.   He who has opportunity to impose retribution and vengeance chooses instead to offer mercy and pardon. 

 But mercy is more than this.  Everyone has the option to express mercy, even the weak and the powerless.  Mercy, as Jesus expresses it, embraces the idea of looking outside oneself, to feel empathy, compassion and concern for someone else.  The opposite of being merciful is being wrapped up in oneself so that all we can think about is our own concerns and interests. 

 This may be a special temptation for the sick, the powerless, the poor and the weak.  How easily we are tempted to think only about our circumstance, our ailments, our illness and our financial needs.   We become resentful of those who are wealthier and healthier and privileged.

 But to be underprivileged, to be overlooked, to be poor, sick and feeble, and yet to remain merciful toward others, this is the mark of authentic discipleship.  It is far easier to practice mercy when you are prosperous and powerful.

 Refuse to live a self-absorbed life. Resist the downward pull of bitterness and resentment. Instead, give yourself in mercy toward others.   When you do this, your life will be enriched with the mercies of God.

How To Prevail In A Corrupt World

 Every day when we tune in for the news we are inundated by stories of corruption, deception, crime, war and injustice.  Occasional beams of light break through the dark clouds of gloom: stories of heroism and self-sacrifice. But the shadows are dark and difficult to dispel.

 Into the midst of this darkness, Jesus introduced the fourth Beatitude.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied.”  What a great promise! 

 Jesus must have had in mind the kind of righteousness that is associated with justice.  There is just too much in the Scripture related to God’s passion for righteousness and justice to think that Jesus was not referring to this. 

 We are not to lose heart in this world when the powerful and the rich subjugate the weak and the poor, when graft and greed are rampant.   God will bring justice and righteousness upon the earth.  As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’” (Amos 5:24).

 I am reminded of Winston Churchill’s stand against the Nazi onslaught.  On October 29, 1941, when Great Britain faced isolation and possible defeat, Churchill challenged his generation to persevere for righteousness.  In that speech he said, “You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are …  never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

 Jesus must have referred also to another righteousness, the righteousness that overcomes sin. We are all sinners.  No one disputes this fact. We all sin.  Self-righteousness will not save us.  The prophet Isaiah stated the truth we all should know, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away,” (Isaiah 64:6). 

 Righteousness deals with our relationship to God.  More often than not, the prophets link this word with salvation rather than justice.  “I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay.  And I will grant salvation in Zion and my glory for Israel.”  (Isaiah 46:13).  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 The Apostle Paul wrote, “ I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord … not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith,” (Philippians 3:8-9).

He is your righteousness and your salvation.  He has become sin for you so that your sin might be removed as the east is from the west.  Hunger for Him and you will be satisfied. 

The Gentle

Most would acknowledge that the earth belongs to the cunning and the ruthless.  The gentle are pushed aside, run over, used and abused by those who climb upon their backs to occupy positions of wealth and power.  How does this square with Jesus’ 3^rd Beatitude, “Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth.”?

You may dominate the earth, in the short term, if you aim for wealth and power.  But in the getting, you will lose.  Jesus sees from a mountain whose heights rise above our mortal measure.  From his vantage point, he sees the ultimate result.  In the end, it is the gentle who will inherit for they are willing to suffer the loss of all things for the preservation of their souls. The measure of success is about character. Not about possessions, fame and power. 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law,” (Galatians 5:19-23).

Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah wrote "He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;   He will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 43:2-3).  Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am gentle and humble in heart …”  (Matthew 11:29)

Martin Luther King Jr., the most effective leader of the Civil Rights movement was strongly influenced in this regard by Jesus and Mahatma Ghandi.  He wrote, “I came to see for the first time that the Christian concept of love operating through the Ghandian method of non-violence was one of the most potent weapons available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom. … This principle became the guiding light of our movement.  Christ furnished the spirit and motivation while Ghandi furnished the method.”

Nelson Mandela was born into the South Africa Xhosa tribe. His mother was a devout Christian and sent him to a Methodist school.  While working on a BA degree he taught Bible classes in the local community as part of the Student Christian Association. Later a leader of the ANC that opposed apartheid, he was arrested as a political prisoner and spent 27 years in prison, most of it in hard labor, sleeping in a 5 by 7 concrete cell with straw bedding. Released in 1990 he was elected president of South Africa in 1994. Expected to retaliate against his oppressors, instead he emphasized personal forgiveness and reconciliation.

 “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5). 

This is the third Reflection in an eight-part series on the Beatitudes.

When Mourning Comes

 The suffering of the world is streamed into our TVs, smart phones and iPads every day.  It is global, affecting every nation, people and culture.  We see it on a large scale in the wars in Ukraine and Iran, earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela, flooding in Shanghai and Wenzhou, China.  Natural disasters leave suffering, sorrow and mourning in their wake. We mourn for loved ones who fall victim to terminal illness and accidental death.

 Jesus acknowledged this reality of human existence when he said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

 How would we know comfort if we never knew sorrow?  Our suffering enlargers our standing of God.  He who never sorrows lives life in the shallows.  We only drink from the depths of God when we have suffered and mourned. God will not leave you comfortless.  No tear ever escapes your eye that does not run its course through the heart of God.

 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. … A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness …  Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs.  And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”  (Isaiah 40).

 He who comforts us wants us to comfort one another. “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God,” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Our own suffering enables us to comfort others who are experiencing a similar loss.

 Sorrow and mourning will come to us all.  Most children first experience it in the death of a pet. They are inconsolable until gathered in the arms of their mother or father and comforted.  As we age, we will suffer the loss of parents, brothers, sisters, our spouse and friends.  Weeping will come. Mourning will come.  We never fully forget, and don’t want to forget those whom we have loved.  We learn to live with the loss through the comfort we find in others and in God’s promises. The greatest of His promises is eternal life.

 The Apostle Paul wrote, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus,” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

 If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you will find a comfort in your sorrow that the world cannot provide.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.

This is the second in an eight part series on the Beatitudes.

Are You Poor In Spirit?

 Everyone knows that it is the bold, the proud and the strong who prevail.  Not the weak, insecure and unsure.  All we need do is browse the latest economic and political headlines. Be confident. Be strong, relentless and ruthless, if you want to win. Jesus painted a different picture.

When Jesus ascended the mountain slope overlooking the Sea of Galilee and sat down to address the crowd, his first words turned traditional logic on its head. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

With this, Jesus opened the door for people like you and me.  We know that we have not always been strong.  We know our faith has often failed in the moment of trial.  When we have wanted to believe most, we have sometimes doubted. 

Of such, Jesus says, is the kingdom.  Rejoice!  Be happy!  You are included.

The poor in spirit would include Peter, who fell prostrate in his boat and declared, “Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man.”  It would include the woman of Samaria who came to the well at midday, alone, because she was an outcast. It would include the father who begged him to heal his son, declaring, “I do believe. Help my unbelief.”  And it would include the dying thief crucified beside Him who petitioned, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

Mother Teresa’s meditations were gathered into a book entitled “Come Be My Light.”  She wrote, “Do not think my spiritual life is strewn with roses … quite the contrary I have more often as my companion ‘darkness.’  … I need much grace, much of Christ’s strength to persevere in trust, in that blind love which leads only to Jesus crucified.”

Billy Graham, who preached to more people in his lifetime than anyone in history, prayed this personal prayer, “Lord Jesus, you suffered such humiliation and pain for me on the cross. I ask you humbly to forgive my pride and errant ways that nailed you there.”

If the kingdom of heaven were only for the strong, we all would be excluded including the twelve disciples.  How often did their faith fail them? Jesus did not characterize them as firm in their faith or strong in their spirit.  Jesus said to them more than once, “Oh ye of little faith!”   Where was Peter when Jesus was standing trial? Was he not swearing with an oath that he never knew the man?  But Jesus was not surprised.  He had already warned Peter that he would stumble. 

Even when Jesus stood on the mountain in Galilee and delivered the Great Commission, the Bible says, “some doubted.” If your spirit is weak, rejoice.  Yours is the kingdom of heaven.  After all heaven is built on God’s faith, not ours.  

This week’s column is the first of eight in a series on the Beatitudes. 

Tinsley's Novel, We Beheld His Glory is free as an eBook on Amazon August 18-19. 

Teachers Make A Difference

 It is mid-August and already many students are back in school, excitedly finding their desks, making new friends, opening new books. Most teachers have been back at work for a week or  more getting ready for the students who are assigned to their care.

 My wife retired as a schoolteacher more than 10 years ago.  After earning a master’s in early childhood education, her career took her to kindergarten, third grade and secondary education in the  inner city,  metro and rural areas, in Texas and Minnesota.  She concluded her teaching career by teaching a dropout prevention program for pregnant and parenting teens.  Her goal in her final assignment was to help her students have a healthy pregnancy, a healthy birth, learn to be a parent, stay in school, and create a future for themselves and their child. On her best year, her students achieved a 98% graduation rate.

 On one occasion she asked her students to tell of the most significant caregiver in their life.  One of her students said she had a happy childhood until age 10 when her parents were both arrested and sent to jail for drugs.  Her grandfather tried to take her in, but they wouldn’t let him because he had confessed to possession of marijuana.  But he continued to love her and check on her at her foster home. She said she remained close to her foster mother.

 One of her former students returned to my wife’s class to visit, a single mom who graduated and enrolled in a trade school.  My wife asked her to tell her story to the others.  She told of how her older brother committed suicide and how she was on the same trajectory but was able to change course and pursue a better life.  The school counselor who was observing that day asked the student what made the difference in her life.  She pointed to my wife as her teacher and said, “This woman right here.”

 I remain proud of my wife and what she accomplished as a teacher.  I am grateful for the many teachers who accept assignment in challenging situations, working with children and teenagers who face daunting difficulties. 

 Perhaps this is one reason our favorite movies are often based on true stories of teachers who persevered and prevailed in the lives of students who otherwise might have given up. Movies like Mr. Holland’s Opus, Akeela and the Bee, Freedom Writers.

 The title Jesus often used to refer to himself was “teacher.”  It was the title others used most to refer to Him, including the 12 who were his disciples. He was the supreme example of the master teacher, teaching by example and illustration, pouring his life into the lives of those who followed him. His teaching and His life changed the world. Two thousand years after he walked the earth, his teaching and His life changed me.

 I hope you will join me in praying for the thousands of teachers who are seeking to make a difference in the lives of children and young adults as schools open and classrooms resume.  I hope you will make Jesus your Master Teacher.