Looking On The Inside

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. 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

How many times have we been in situations where we meet someone new and immediately try to size the person up? Based on what we are seeing with our own eyes, we might perceive whether or not the person would be a good fit for a particular situation.

That is exactly what happened in the context of 1 Samuel 16. The Lord had sent Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel. He had been directed to go to the home of Jesse in Bethlehem because one of his sons would become king. Samuel obeyed the Lord and when he arrived, he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When he took a look at Eliab, he thought for sure this would be the son the Lord had chosen. That is when the Lord spoke to Samuel in verse 7, reminding him of His priority in assessing a person.

The Lord looks at the heart. What a powerful lesson for us to learn as we interact with the people God brings across our paths!

So, how do we know how to truly take a look at the inside?

•  ask the Lord for His discernment when we first meet others
•  make sure that our attitudes toward others we come in contact with are pure and loving
•  accept people where they are in their life journey and aim at encouraging them toward growth God's way
•  look beyond the outer appearance and listen to the heartbeat of others

Point to Ponder:  Being tuned in to looking at the heart should matter to us because it matters to God!