The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-04-29
Pure In Heart
Lesson for May l, 1860

There are different words in
different languages for the in
visible man-that is, the man no
body sees, but everybody knows
he is there. Each of us is an in
visible man or woman. 1t isn't
that we walk around with this
person under our skins. We are
this person. We can call it the
real you" or the inner self
or the lego" if we like. We can
call it the mind or the spirit.
What the Hebrews called it was
the heart" This did not mean
emotions, it meant thought, atti-
tudeS, the whole inner, unseen
life Of man, that area of his life
in which he is definitely human
and not just another and slightly
smarter animal.
PURE In Heart
Jesus laid great emphasis on
the heart, and so does the entire
Bible. If the heart is not right
the man is not right. Jesus has
a special word for the right kind
of heart: pure" This does not
mean what you might think at a
hasty glance. It does not mean
exclusively-a mind free from
wrong sex desires, a heart with
out lust. The word Jesus uses,
which is translated pure is
simply clean That is, free
from everything useless, every
thing that beclouds and be-
smirches life. A heart cluttered
up with worries is not a pure
heart. as Jesus would see it.
Yet an empty heart is not a
pure heart. One Of Jesus more
1Gruesome stories is about a devil
who had been cast out of a man S
heart. Finding no rest elsewhere,
the evil spirit came back to his
old home, and found it empty
swept and garnished." There was
room there for himself and seven
other devils worse than he was
so they all moved in. The
empty life is not necessarily a
good life.
Pure In HEART
Purity of heart is to will one
thing it has been said. That
may be exaggerated, but it points
to a truth. Purity Of heart is not
the absence of sin. it is the pres
ence of goodness. Purity of heart
doesn't consist of not wanting
what is bad. it is wanting what
is good. Why is it that for every
twenty people who will tell you
they're all in favor of some good
project. you can scarcely find
one to take off his coat and help
you with it? The difference is
in the heart. here is lot of
difference between the good wish
(Which may not be worth a hill
of beans and real good will.
saving politely. Yes. that is a
splendid idea, I approve of it,
and getting out to work to make
it come true.
Jesus knew the hearts impor-
lance. People are not going to
do good, or to create it, or to be
good. if they don't want to in
the first place. Everything that is
good has many enemies in this
world. So - if we do not desire
good with all our heart, our
weekday heart as much as our
Sunday : go to meeting heart
the enemies are going to discour-
age us, we shall never get going
NO'Hypocritcs al Home
This is the beginning of family
week. Now the family is the
hardest of all places to be a sue
cesSful hypocritc. Jesus had nc
use whatever for hypocrites-
they arc perfect Illustrations OF
hearts not pure. That they say
they admire they don't admire /:
what good they do they wish they
didn't have to do. They have to
be dragged into the paths OF
righteousness, they don't choose
those paths with joyful heart.
1t is at home where hypocrites
can be seen into, seen through
They can't hide their inner lives.
The rest of the family sees into
their hearts. Home is a place
where hypocrisy withers. It al
ways withers when it can be
seen through. Thus a good home
itself is a cure for hypocrisy
Family life at its best is a life
In which every heart is open to
all other hearts. where there is
no place. no dark corner. for
grudgeS to hide or for hates to
begin. Blessed arc the pure in
heart, and blest are the homes
where they arc found.
Based OH outlines copyrighted
by the Division Of Christian Edu.
cation. National Council Of
the Churches Of Christ in the
U. S. A. Released by Community
Press Servicc.)
Two miles of ditch, draining
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