if ye forgive not men their tres passes, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (vrs. 14, 15). On the surface this may seem too legalistic for some people. What the Saviour is saying is that if you really understand forgive ness of God you also will be mer ciful toward others. If you do not forgive others it is an indication that you do not know and are not willing to share the grace of God. "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." As you share the mercy of God in your life you relate in mercy to others. On the other hand, if you lack that vital expression toward others then you do not really know and ap preciate what God is doing in your life. Paul, under the Spirit's inspir ation, exhorts us, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trem bling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." We are to work out in life's expression what God is working into our experi ences. Be honest before God. Seek to share His mercy, reflecting His glory in your relationships with others. BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART One of the great questions in life is our motives. What we do is important but why we do these things is even more significant. Ev en in seeking to do the will of God we also must confess that when we have done our human best we are still unprofitable servants. Yet, God builds His kingdom on simple men and women like us. The Chris tian is one who identifies with Je sus Christ and seeks to walk with Him. If you asked me, "Are you a hus band?" I would answer unqualified
by "Yes, I am both a husband and a father!" If your question fol lowed, "Are you a perfect hus band?" I could not be quite so dogmatic. I have a higher ideal for myself as a husband and a father than I have ever achieved. This same concept is true of us as believers. This is what spiritual ma turity is all about. Jesus encourages us with the word, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Purity of heart is a concept we dare not moralize. As one psychologist put it, "Perfec tionism will drive you up a wall." Yet, purity of heart is still what God asks of us. Someone has rightly of fered, "Purity of heart is to will one w ill." We must have an eye single to the purposes of God. Again, all of this is more a matter of attitude than it is a matter of achievement. Christ points out, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." We need to take an honest look into our own hearts. David testi fied, "I delight to do Thy will, O God." Can such be our purpose? One who has purity of heart has moved beyond mere form to fel lowship. This means we do not simply go through the perfunctory forms of worship, thinking that such merits us some grace. In the Reformation of the 16th century, one of the great principles of the Protestant faith was the universal priesthood of the believer. The ba sic meaning was that anyone could come all the way to God and meet Him in Jesus Christ. There was no Page 29
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