Lessons from the Heart
The right look
By Pastor Paul Marcellino

Marcellino

We all get a chuckle when we look at old photographs. We laugh at ourselves when we see the clothes and hairstyles that were popular during that particular time. Unfortunately, at the time it was serious stuff and still is today. Today people spend millions of dollars to have the right look. We place too much emphasis on the outside and we fail to pay attention to the inside.

This age-old problem has spanned centuries. If you recall when the prophet Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king to replace Saul, Samuel was misled by physical appearance. When he saw Jesse's oldest son, Eliab, the most logical conclusion by sibling order, he was quite taken by his physical appearance, but the Lord said to Samuel in I Samuel 16:7, "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."

Samuel continued down the line of Jesse's sons finding several of them to have what he considered the kingly look, but God kept saying no, not this one. Finally, Jesse ran out of sons, and Samuel said, "Is this it? Is this all your inventory? To which Jesse replied, well no, there is my youngest runt out with the smelly sheep. It couldn't be him you want, I'm sure."

Samuel said to send for him, and when David, the shepherd boy, arrived dirty and smelly, straight from the sheep pens, the Lord told Samuel, "This is the one! Anoint him!" Samuel, surely had his doubts, but he obeyed. It did not take him long to realize David was the right choice. He knew this young man looked like his heavenly father. How did he know? How could he tell?

Samuel states very clearly to Saul in I Samuel 13:14 - The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people. The key phrase here is "a man after God's own heart."

It is not physical characteristics that matter it is our heart. The attitudes of our heart are our spiritual genetics, our godly DNA. This is what is important to God. Our relationship with God is very special because God determines it through our hearts and not our appearance.

Paul Marcellino is pastor at the First Baptist Church in Camden.