1 TIMOTHY 1:3-7As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, These verses from 1 Timothy are special. ‘Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart”. Not ‘with a pure heart’, but ‘from a pure heart’. There is a difference, albeit a subtle one, and what I mean is this. To love with a pure heart, suggests that each of us might have that pure heart, yet we know that our Lord Jesus Christ was alone in having a pure heart, complete holiness; all of which He received from the Heavenly Father. Thus we can be assured that the love that Paul states is the purpose of the commandment, is the love that is in our hearts because Christ lives within each saint as the hope of glory. Each of us can only ever have a pure, clean and unadulterated heart if that heart is His not ours. In Hebrews, chapter 10, there is mention of a true heart, which the Amplified Bible translates as ‘having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water.’ Paul, in our verses today speaks of love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. and this is witnessed to in Hebrews. Thus we can see three qualifying factors to fulfill the commandment…
None of these are possible for any one of us without the Lord Jesus Christ residing in our innermost being. It reminds me of this song… Out of my innermost being MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS…and having a High Priest over the house of God, WITH A CLEAN HEART (I WILL MAGNIFY YOUR NAME) — Devonshire Road Sunday Worship Everything you go through as a Christian is a training exercise behind which God has a divine purpose. He did not save you so that you could cruise into paradise on a luxury liner; He saved LISTEN TO THIS MEDITATION HERE…
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MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS…Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Archives
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GEORGE and GILL STEWART |