My first Bible verse

I was a young child when I first learned this passage of scripture. I was probably around 5 years old. I think it's a beautiful verse for a child to learn. It's not too long, it talks about positive values, and it's easy to understand.

I still remember, when I was a little girl, the spiritual feeling that this verse gave me and the desire to be loving toward God and other people.

The dictionary says that pure means: "(1): unmixed with any other matter ['pure gold'] (2): free from dust, dirt, or taint ['pure springwater']" (Merriam-Webster)

Definition #2 is obvious but so difficult. To have a clean heart, to purge ourselves of impurities in our thoughts and feelings. Through our own efforts it would be impossible. Only through the power of the Holy Ghost can it be done.

Definition #1 talks about being "unmixed". What this says to me is that we should strive to be single-minded in our desires and our priorities. My father says in sermons sometimes that the reason some people have a hard time following Jesus is because they haven't completely decided which they want the most: To follow God or to be rich? To be a disciple of Christ or to be popular?

James 4:8 says, " . . . purify your hearts, ye double minded." This reinforces the idea that being single-minded is what it means to be pure in heart.

To show the kind of commitment to Christ that He showed to us, we need to make our devotion to Him the clear priority in our lives. That purity in heart will help us to find direction in our lives more clearly and also make our lives a testimony to those around us.