Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That's why the prophet said,

The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God's Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you. (I Peter 1:18-25, The Message)

I watched part of a television show tonight called "Life". I'd never seen it before and still don't really know what it's about except it seems to follow a couple of detectives around ... lots of fun tension between them as he is a button pusher and she tries to be the voice of reason.

At one point, I heard the guy detective say that he was in search of a "pure heart". That term gets bandied around a lot among religious folk but sometimes I wonder if our humanity ever allows us to really have a pure heart, or event to fully grasp what that would be. Now, mind you, that does not mean we stop striving for it, but I really wonder if it is ever attainable. I know a few people in my life who have been close I think. I have had a few relatives of pure heart ... and I can think of others whose joy in Christ just bubbles forth in a way that I think evidences their pure hearts.

But it's tough for most of us ... tough for me at least. I guess I really only need worry about myself in this regard actually.

I like the I Peter scripture above from The Message. In the King James version, this passage talks directly about loving others with a pure heart, and never faking it. So, it is indeed what we're called to -- this loving others with a pure heart. And it is so beautiful when I see it in others.

But I struggle. My "self" gets in the way. The jealousy and envy that are humanity sneak in. So do other not-so-admirable traits.

But, still, we must, as the guy in "Life" said tonight, search for that pure heart in ourselves. There is beauty in the pure heart. The beauty of Jesus.

Have a good day. That's all I got. Don't step on any cracks.