I got up and went to Mugwalls this morning and read a chapter in the David book. Here are my favorite things about this chapter. When talking about Samuel going to the house of Jesse to pick one of his sons to one day be King of Israel, Samuel kept thinking that the older sons, those which were big guys and looked like kings, were surely God's chosen one.
"The Lord said to Samuel,' Do not look at his appearance or 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." 1 Samuel 16:7
This was so convicting for me. Samuel couldn't see their hearts and their deepest thoughts. Not only am I guilty of judging the book by its cover, but in my own life, what are the intentions of my heart? What does God see that others might not see...maybe even things I can't see in myself? Just reading this was definitely a challenge to evaluate my heart and intentions in every interaction I have.
Moving along, Samuel eventually sees David, the youngest boy who was humble and tended to the sheep tirelessly and knows that he is the one the Lord has chosen. The Bible says he was a man after God's own heart. Swindoll notes this about David,
"I think that's one of the reasons he was a man after God's heart. He was always approachable, always believable, always authentic... and always faithful in the little things."
I love that David would go on to do many incredible things, and also some horrible things, but either way, he cried out to the Lord constantly...for forgiveness, for comfort, for praise. He was a humble servant whose heart and focus would also turn back to the Lord whenever it had strayed.
This week, I want to observe my heart and intentions constantly. I want to strive to focus my face on the Lord and keep the big picture in mind, being faithful in the little things.
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