Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and pure heart. Psalm 24:3-4a

What does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart?
It’s one who seeks God. Who seeks God’s will, purpose, and plan for his life.
One who seeks the face of God.
One who lives within the forgiveness of God, extending in turn forgiveness to others who wrong him.
One who lives humbly under the authority of God.
One who stands in awe of God’s power, remembering Who is ultimately in control.
One who walks daily with God, obeying His written word and the promptings within his heart.
Clean hands require God’s grace, mercy, and strength.
There is no possible way to successfully rely on ourselves instead.
We are dependent on God. We must remain dependent on Him.
He gives us strength to obey His word.
He gives us grace for others when we must forgive.
He gives us peace amidst the storm.
He gives us salvation from our sins.
But we must choose to clean our hands.
We must choose to walk with God, asking Him to fill our hands with His plans.
Extending forgiveness to others ranks high on the “later, Lord” list.
But how can we have clean hands and a pure heart when we harbor un-forgiveness?
Even if it’s not deserved, we must.
We must forgive.
Doesn’t mean we are now forgetful or best friends with the offender.
Means we let the offense go, allowing God to heal our hearts.
I did that recently. Someone who has known me a very long time.
I let it go. And you know what? It freed me.
God reminded me how much He has forgiven me.
Immediately I knew it must be extended to others.
My person didn’t deserve it.
But neither do I.
I don’t deserve God’s forgiveness.
Want to ascend the hill of the Lord with me?
God wants us to have clean hands and a pure heart.
Includes forgiveness.
Ask Him to help you, and grab those shoes. The hill looks lovely.



Photos by Joseph Liu, Adrian Jakob, Tim Wildsmith, & Thomas de LUZE on Unsplash


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