“When they arrived,
Samuel saw Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the
Lord.' 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 people
look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart'” (I Samuel 16:6-7, NIV).
In this Scripture God
has sent Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem with the instruction that He, the Lord,
has chosen one of Jesse's sons to be the new king. Samuel looks on the outer
appearance of Eliab, and immediately believes him to be God's chosen. But God
lets Samuel know that Eliab is rejected. He is not the one. God has chosen
David, a simple shepherd boy, to be His anointed.
How many times do we
look on someone's outer appearance, whether in looks or clothing or size or
manner, and judge who they are? How many times have we done as Samuel, and
expected God to choose someone for a purpose only to discover that our choice
was not God's choice? How many times do we believe we know what is going on in
someone's life only for God to show us that we know nothing at all? We really do
not know the depth of that person's heart. Man always perceives with what his
eyes see. But God wants us to look on others with the openness of His heart and
His Spirit. He wants us to be able to see past any perceived fault and recognize
the potential that God knows is there.
God saw promise in a
shepherd boy. He saw David's heart, and knew His potential. Not only does God
see the potential in other people and does not want us to judge them, God sees
potential in our lives, too. What we do to others, is often returned to us. To
recognize what God sees in us, we must seek to see what He sees in others. It is
then that God's instruction to “to not judge lest ye also be judged” is closer
to being understood.
I am thankful that
God always sees the potential in my heart. I pray to always have His eyes to see
the potential in the hearts of those He brings into my life.
__________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment