Clean hands and a pure heart

Psalm 24:3-5 places a strong emphasis upon us having clean hands and a pure heart—the words “clean hands” puts the focus on our relationship with others; the words “a pure heart” puts the focus on our relationship with God. Our hands will be clean as we allow God to work through us, and our hearts will be pure as we allow God to work within us:

*Clean hands will impact our actions; a pure heart will impact our attitudes.
*Clean hands will be seen by others; a pure heart will be seen by God.
*Clean hands will do right things; a pure heart will do them for the right reasons.
*Clean hands are our actions; a pure heart is our motivation.
*Clean hands are what we do; a pure heart is why we do it.
*Clean hands express our care; a pure heart expresses our character.

It is God’s grace and holiness that will form us into the kind of people He desires us to be. He wants us to do good things for the right reasons. He wants us to be reaching out to others while glorifying Him. Having clean hands and a pure heart will influence our lives, our homes, our relationships, and our businesses.
In the business world “clean hands” and a “pure heart” must both work together. If we have “clean hands” but not a “pure heart” we will do things that outwardly may look good and seem good to people, but are unacceptable to God. When Jesus spoke about the inward condition of the Scribes and Pharisees, He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure.” Matthew 23:27 AMP

We must be careful in business never to try and use God to advance our own agenda or personal career path, but to allow God to use us to advance His agenda. He can do this when our hands are clean and our hearts are pure before Him.

Psalm 24 goes on to remind us that there are other things that will be different about business people that are dedicated to God and operating for His glory. Falsehood and deceit will not be found in their offices, in their conference rooms, in their documents, in their phone conversations, or in their business calls. How wonderful it is to find business people with pure hearts, clean hands, and honest dealings with others—how good it is, how right it is, how rare it is, how blessed it will be!