A pure heart

“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.” Psalm 24:3-4
Being able to come into God’s presence is a wonderful thing. That connection with Him, is the reason we were created. But we can’t just waltz on in, because God has standards of righteousness that need to be met, as described in this verse. Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
Do we have clean hands? Have we ever committed sin? Unfortunately, yes – we all have. Have we lifted up our soul to an idol? Perhaps not an idol carved from wood or stone, but an idol can be anything that takes God’s place in our lives (money, career, a person, a car, a house, ...).
And here’s the clincher: Do any of us have a pure heart? The Bible tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Even we don’t know our own hearts – except that they, like our physical bodies, are affected by the Fall.
But there is one Person who can say that He has pure hands, a clean heart, has not lifted up His soul to an idol or sworn by what is false. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, as a human. He alone is able to come into God’s presence. And by doing so, if we are in Him, He enables us to enter also.