Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- January 16, 2013
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
The Lord knows an outward appearance may or may not be an indicator of what’s in the heart. A smile on the outside can still mask a frown on the inside. An outwardly positive attitude may still wrestle with negative feelings from past hurt. A handsome man may maintain an ugly heart, while a beautiful woman can project an unattractive spirit. Good looks do not guarantee a grace filled life. God goes straight to the heart of what matters most: humility, fear of God and love.
Is your heart in the hand of your heavenly Father? Like a heat seeking missile, is your heart’s desire hot for the things of God? The praise of people may lead you to think more highly of your contributions than Christ’s. So, invite the Holy Spirit to translate man’s praise into a tool to purify your heart. He will burn away impure motives and replace them with righteous ones. After all, your life is all of grace or none at all. You stay qualified for God by keeping a heart for God.
“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:10-11
The eyes of men are attracted to attractive Kings of strong stature, but the eyes of the Lord look for humble shepherds with a heart for service. Indeed, we are wise to keep our aspirations in line with Almighty God’s. We don’t obsess with our outward appearance for it fades away, but we do adorn our spirit with the grace of God for its beauty is eternal. Our heavenly Father specializes in making His children cute and adorable. The inner work of the Spirit shapes our soul for God.
Therefore, select and follow leaders who are qualified by God. Avoid smooth talkers with a hard heart. Take your time at work to hire not only those who can get the job done, but who get it done with a humble heart. Wait on marriage for the one whose heart seeks the Lord and who seeks to serve others. Ask the Lord to give you a mental and emotional diagnostic to discern a person’s spirit. Better to invest in those with ordinary abilities and looks, but with an extraordinary heart.
“He [Christ] will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears.” Isaiah 11:3
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray my inner self will be beautiful in Your sight.
Related Readings: Psalm 44:21, 139:23; Luke 16:15; 1 Peter 3:4; Revelation 2:23
Post/Tweet today: We stay qualified for God by keeping a heart for God. #heart for God
Blessed by these readings?: pray about giving a donation, click… http://bit.ly/KArLE5
© 2012 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.
Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry
info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com
Comments are closed.
Good morning Boyd. As a devout follower of Christ I love to read your “Wisdom Hunters” every morning. I would love to be able to share back to you, but as disabled veteran, I find it a challenge to even make it from month to month. Please accept my constant prayers for you and your ministry. God bless you, have a Jesus filled day!
Brian, God bless you for your heart for Christ and your sacrifice to serve our country. You are my hero and the hero of many other God-fearing people in our country. Please send me your mailing address and we will send you some resources to help you grow in your faith.
A fellow servant of Jesus,
Boyd
a very good word
awesome