Great in God's Eyes

This morning I came across Proverbs 20:27, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being." Now that's an eye opening verse. We are an open book the Lord. Every thought and action are known to Him even before we think and do them. It's interesting how everything in this world and beyond is accessible to God. Yet, He is still interested in our heart's condition and who we are becoming. "Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, how much more the hearts of men." Proverbs 15:11.

After Saul failed in obeying the Lord, God sent Samuel to search for another king to rule over His people. God led him to Jesse because He had chosen one of his sons to be king. One by one Jesse's sons came before Samuel to be consecrated. I'm thinking that Jesse's sons were very handsome in appearance and Samuel noticed. In Samuel's eyes the one who was to be king had to look like a king. So when Jesse's first son, Eliab, entered Samuel assumed it was he that the Lord had chosen. Here the Lord reminds him of what He is looking for, "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

Each of Jesse's sons came before Samuel and each one was rejected by the Lord. Even Jesse is on the same wavelength as Samuel and sends all his sons in except the youngest because it seems like he didn't think he was king material. "And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." I Samuel 16:11

In the end we know that David came before Samuel and was anointed king. To look at David you would have seen a ruddy youth with beautiful eyes and would consider him very handsome. Yet, he was a lowly shepherd and would seem not worthy to be king of God's chosen people. But something within David marked him as a great man even in his youth. God knew his heart and chose him not because of his good looks but because of what was inside.

So often our society preaches that the outward appearance is what matters. It also preaches that we need to constantly seek happiness and flee from trials. Our children are growing up thinking this way and not concerned about who they are becoming. They have lost the ability to have integrity and lack greatly in character. They want to be constantly filled with happy good things in life. We need to be careful not to fall into the world's trap but to keep ourselves focused on the Lord and serving Him alone. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:58

We need to be steadfast in following Jesus. I like what Maltbie Davenport Babcock had to say about being steadfast, "Is not this steadfastness to mark, to make, the character of your lives? Is not god's will that we should press steadily on to our goal in obedience to Him, in channels of His choosing, wether in sunshine or shadow, in the cheer of spring or tin the chill of winter, neither by pleasure nor deterred by pain?"

I pray that we will fix "our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith." He is the perfecter of our faith. He knows what's what and what we need to be doing in order to grow into what He has chosen us to be. It's our choice to follow Him in everything or not in anything at all. May we grow through our trials knowing that we are growing closer to the Lord. May we be more concerned with our character and remain steadfast on the journey God is leading us through.

Krista Jones 7.19.09


Bible Reading Guide:

Beginning to End: Numbers 35-36
Old and New Testaments Together: Numbers 12-14 & Mark 5:21-43
Historical: Numbers 35-36
Chronological: Numbers 7
Blended: Exodus 23-24 & 2 Thess. 2

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible