“One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.”
Who doesn’t love a person with a pure heart? I know I’m certainly blessed and encouraged by being in the presence of those people. I wish there were more. I want to be more that way. Speaking with grace may be a far greater challenge. The instruction of James to “listen quickly” can go a long way in helping that happen in our interactions. It’s the old “count to 10 before responding” rule. Emotion will often subside a bit when we practice those things. With emotion reduced, the Holy Spirit has a better opportunity to intervene and add grace to our speech. Solomon is letting us know that there are very few lives we will not have the opportunity to influence if we live with a pure heart and gracious speech. Just like me, everyone wants those people in their journey. Even devious people want those people nearby—they know they can trust them. They may not appreciate their counsel when it goes against their ungodly decisions and actions, though. That’s where the John the Baptists end up beheaded and the Daniels end up tossed in the lions’ den. However, God is faithfully with His kind and honest followers. He puts them in places of influence. The challenge is to hold true to the integrity that puts us there. And most importantly, Jesus tells us that that pure heart gets you an audience with the King of kings Himself. Today, walk in purity and grace. #BeTheEdge
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” — Jesus
