“But the Lord said to Samuel, …………………….The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).
We are currently buying a house that looks brown on one side and gray on the other side. It seems a owner tried to paint the siding and it faded. Now we could have rejected the idea of even looking at the inside of the house by looking at the outside, but we decided to check it out. We were surprised to find that the inside of the house was completely remodeled and in excellent condition. We are buying it because it really felt like “home” when we looked around in the inside.
This is an example of how God looks at us. We have a tendency to be very self critical when we look at our outward appearance. We find faults and even wonder sometimes why we were born. But even with all of our outward flaws, God loves us because He looks at our hearts. It is more important that we have surrendered our hearts to Christ and His plan for us than worry about wrinkles and everything else that age brings.
Our words should resemble David’s as he wrote this Psalm:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you” (Psalm 51:10-13 NIV).
We need to concentrate on where our relationship with Christ is right now. When Satan puts thoughts in our heads that we are imperfect and that our lives don’t mean anything, we need to think about how much we mean to the Lord and how he needs us to show others the way to eternal life.
So do a heart test and check and see if Christ is first in your life. Make sure that when he examines your heart He will be thrilled at what he sees.
Dear Lord,
Help us to have a pure heart so that you will be pleased when you look upon it. Help us not to be so self critical but to lift our concerns and cares to you so that you can give us peace about everything. Thank you for loving us in spite of our faults. Help us to do the same for the people around us.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen
