The Pulpit Speaks: August 18, 1956

An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.

As one “Faces Up to Life,” there must be some point around which he moves. A center imperative to everything.

Life is so designed that we must have something as its center. Jesus was very mindful of this when He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Blessed are those people whose actions are motivated around or by pure hearts.

One of the drastic weaknesses of our day is that many people are concerned with cleaning up and making pure everything but their hearts. But life is so made up that if we are going to do anything and so it right, it must first be conceived from a pure heart. I know many things that have been conceived but conceived under motives that are questionable and damaging and, as the result, nothing has ever been realized from them. Irrespective what our final goals might be, we must get off on the right foot.

As odd as it seems, we live in hypocritical days. We see people do things which, at the moment, seem very noble and worthwhile. But after we talk with them a while, we find out that, after all, the motives were not as high as they were once thought to be.

A man rushes into a house, endangering his own welfare, to save an old lady who otherwise would have perished in flames. Everyone who sees him sings his praises. But after talking with him, we found out that he had all the angles figured out before he went into the house, and it was more a matter of praise and glory he was seeking than saving the life of the old lady.

A noted doctor exposes himself to a dreaded disease and is able to come out and prepare a toxin for the benefit of millions. Another man subjects himself to being called a fool or crazy because he felt that he had something the world needed. Untold millions of men give of their blood, sweat and tears because they feel that what they hold in their hands is worth dying for. But they all did just that that life might be more meaningful to you and me.

With all of this going on, just where do we fit in the overall picture?

We fit into the picture in that we, as humans, have a duty, not only to ourselves, but also to God. We can only do in light of the best that is in us.

After all, what is meant by this thing “Pure in heart”? It means just this: blessed is he who has solved all of his problems and is now in a position to help someone else solve his.

But I believe it goes even further than that. It carries along with it the connotation that whatever we do, we should do it with the spirit of God within our breasts. It is not a matter of self-glorification. It is not a matter of doing something to be seen and heard. In its truest sense, it is a matter of doing that we believe in our truest thinking to be the highest in life. When we speak in terms of the “pure in heart” we speak of those who behave according to the highest life has to offer on all occasions.

The pure in heart are motivated to live life at its best on all occasions. I have always been impressed with the Scout oath which reads in part, “On my honor I do my best.” I feel that this is in keeping with living a life motivated by a pure heart. This same thought carries with it a certain restraint. I feel that many people now living don’t know that living the life of a Christian not only gives a person the power or opportunity to do, but it also gives them the opportunity not to do. The person with the “pure heart” can only go so far. He is limited in thought, in action, in behavior, and in all of his mannerisms. There are just certain things not expected of a person once he establishes himself as being one of a pure heart.

When we face up to life and see that when Jesus mentioned, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” He meant that for all of us. He is saying to all of us that only in proportion that we are able to think right will be be in a position to see God.

Whether we see God or nor is largely predicated upon the condition of our hearts. In the final analysis, heaven is going to be filled with people of pure hearts in accordance with the standards of God.