More than meets the eye...

1 Samuel 16:7

  7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

The Lord looks on the heart.

Context

Samuel assumed that Eliab, the eldest son of Jesse, was the one the Lord had selected to be Israel’s new king because of his strong physical appearance.

Doctrine or Principle

God judges us by our thoughts and desires rather than by our outward appearance.

Application

Rather than focus on outward appearance, pray to see yourself and others as God sees you.

I just went to the dermatologist.  Since my sister died a couple of years ago from skin cancer, I’m very aware of odd changes in my skin.  This summer, I’ve had all kinds of new spots appear, which worries me somewhat.  So today was the day to have it all checked out.  A biopsy was taken from my cheek, which will most likely leave a scar (there is one stitch).  Also a “seborrheic keratosis” was frozen from my other cheek.  The first seems a bit more scary, the other was because I’ve never had a spot frozen off, and the dermatologist wanted to see how my skin takes to it.

I’m kind of vain.  I want to look young and be healthy for all of my days on earth. I don’t want a scarred, skin cancerous face.   I’m glad to be reminded that the Lord looketh upon the heart. 

So how is my heart?  Is it full of charity toward others?  Is it judgmental or easily offended?  Is it my instinct to reach out and help?  How does one measure the state of a heart?

More pondering on this…

Jared made an interesting comment.  He said that we as God’s children know more about His heart than we do about His appearance.  That’s interesting.  We don’t actually see His appearance, but we see what He is all about…creative, merciful, generous, listening…we “see”/experience His heart.  Would then the goal be to let others see our hearts more than the outward appearances?  I continuously put a great deal of effort into my outward appearances, my home, my various jobs, my personal appearance.  Maybe more effort needs to be on the Christlike attributes.  And that comes back to being able to measure the state of a heart.  I’d like to know better how to do that.