See the Heart First

What do you see when you look at someone else? What goes into your decision about who they are? Are you impressed with physical attributes? Does someone’s size make a difference? Do their mannerisms and their speech? How do you decide whether you like them or not?

All manner of attributes go into our decision to like someone or not. We see their physical attributes such as height, weight, proportional distribution, and facial form. We may consider their mannerisms, the way they talk, an accent, or even their handshake.

God does not use any of those things when he considers someone. His only consideration is their heart. God can work with all the physical attributes. He can use anyone who has a heart for him. The person whose heart is set on God will see God work in their lives in mighty ways.

Samuel was told to go to Jerusalem to anoint the next king of Israel. Jesse’s first son, Eliab, must have been a tall and handsome man for God told him not to make judgment based on his appearance or height. God was looking inside Eliab’s heart and did not see what he wanted to see. Eliab may have worshiped God, but he didn’t have a heart after God’s own heart like David. So, God rejected Eliab, and every other son of Jesse’s, until the youngest was brought forward.

We can fall into the same trap as Samuel. We can be impressed by someone’s physical attributes. We may prefer a pretty face. But we would be better served to get to know someone’s heart through interaction with them to determine their heart. Someone whose heart is like the heart of God will be a far better friend and mate.

I pray we all forgo making a decision about someone based on physical attributes. I pray we seek to get to know the person’s heart. I pray each one of us seek friendship with someone whose heart is in sync with God’s. Discard physical attributes. Interact with people. Get to know their heart.

1 Samuel 16:6-7 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely his anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Turn Over Your Fear

How many times have you argued against doing what you have been told to do? How many times have you argued against doing what you know is right to do? Have you argued because it was hard? Have you argued because you were embarrassed? Why did you argue?

There are situations in which we do not want to do what we are told or know to be right. We can give a variety of excuses, but they all are lame. They hold no water. Others can see right through our excuse. Yet we often hold onto them. All because we fear.

Samuel was no different. God told him to go to Jerusalem. He said that he would show Samuel who to anoint as the next king. Samuel did not want to go. Why? Fear. He was afraid King Saul would kill him. He did have a legitimate concern. King Saul was known to be jealous. He might have reacted in a very harsh way. His anger may have caused him to kill Samuel. Yet Samuel was a prophet of God. He should have known God would take care of him.

We, also, sometimes do not want to do what God has commanded us to do. Why? Most of the time the reason is fear. Fear of being embarrassed. Fear of shame. Fear of being ostracized. Fear of being persecuted. We can state any number of fears. We can deny it…but only to others. We know deep down inside why. God also knows why. But just as Samuel eventually did what God commanded, we need to do what God commands of us.

I pray we listen for God to guide us. I pray we choose to obey God’s commands. I pray each one of us acknowledge the fear we have, turn it over to God, and choose to do the right thing. Listen for God. Obey God’s commands. Acknowledge your fear. Give your fear to God. Do the right thing.

1 Samuel 16:1-2a The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.”

Hope In God

How often does peace escape you? How often do you feel anything but peace? Why do you think that is? Is it due to a trial or struggle? Is it due to being frustrated or feeling angry? How quickly does peace return to you? Are you leaning on God?

Our peace can be fleeting. Especially so when our peace does not come from God. Going through struggles and trials can zap us. Frustration and anger drain our peace faster than a rock falling down a cliff. Finding that peace again can be a long time coming.

Yet we can have peace all the time when we lean on God. When we remember we are justified by our faith, peace comes with it. Why? Our faith in Jesus and Him providing our peace. We will experience struggles and trials. But they don’t have to take away our peace. And they won’t when our peace comes from Jesus and knowing that we are justified by Him.

Not only do we have peace, but our justification gives us hope. Not just any hope or wishful thinking, but a hope of sharing in God’s glory. A hope that is based on a promise. All of this is provided in God’s grace. It is his grace that allows us to have faith. It is because of his grace that he promised us justification and glory.

And if we want to boast about anything, we can boast in our hope and God’s grace. Anything we do, anything we accomplish is because of God’s grace. It is because he has granted us the ability and skill to do so.

I pray we all know we are justified by faith. I pray we accept the peace of Christ. I pray each one of us know it is by the grace of God that we have peace and hope. You are justified by faith. Accept the peace of Christ. You are covered by God’s grace. Put your hope in God.


Romans 5:1-2: Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

Love God and Yourself

How do you view yourself? Do you think of yourself as a good person? Do you think of yourself as a bad person? Do you think of yourself as a sinful person? Are you proud? Are you shamed? Are you somewhere in between? Does it depend on the moment?

We all have a general perception of ourselves. We have specific perceptions of ourselves that are dependent on the situation. If we react badly, we think worse of ourselves. If we do good for someone, we think better of ourselves. Each specific perception feeds our general perception.

Sociologists will tell us there are three versions of who we are — who we think we are, who others think we are, and the real us. To understand who the real us is, we must set aside who we think we are and who others think we are. We must look deep inside ourselves objectively. This is a very difficult thing to do. In fact, it is so difficult that even if we want to, it will take us numerous attempts to finally get to our core being.

God knows who we are. He knows our core being better than we know ourselves. He knows we are weak, even if we think we are strong. He knows every fault, even if we do not recognize them. He every strength, even if we do not use them. Because God knows us so well and loves us so much, he sent his Son to die for us. Because Jesus loves us as much as the Father, He willingly came to die for us.

We may never peel away our outer perceptions of ourselves to see the true, inner self, but we can be confident that Jesus died for us. We can trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us. We are to trust God, know he loves us, and love ourselves as God’s creation, the image of God.

I pray we all trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves. I pray we know that God loves us. I pray each one of us love God in return and love ourselves as God’s creation. Trust God. God knows you. God loves you. Love God. Love yourself.

Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Believe and Obey

What makes you believe in something? Do you believe based on a witness of an event? Do you believe because someone told you about someone? Does your belief become stronger when you see it for yourself? Does this apply to events, people, and other things?

Deep down inside, we all want to believe. It is only by experiencing lies, false narratives, and hoaxes that we become crass, leery, and skeptical. We may call those who believe immediately naïve. Some of us won’t believe until we see it with our own eyes.

After her encounter with Jesus at the Jacob’s well, the Samaritan woman ran to town to tell everyone about it. Some of them believed. Enough believed that they came out to Him and asked Him to stay with them a couple days. When Jesus had spent some time with them, continuing His teaching, many more of them believed. They proclaimed Him to be the Savior of the world.

Many people today do not believe. Some will believe, if we tell them about Him. Others will not believe no matter how much we tell them about Him. Some will only believe after they have witnessed an extraordinary event. Others believe, but their belief is not strong. Their belief has not changed their lives. They continue in their old ways. Obeying Jesus’ commands is not on their radar. They depend heavily on God’s grace and forgiveness.

We can be people who believe and put our faith in Jesus. We can be people who choose to allow our faith to change us. But to do so means we must not merely believe but also obey God’s commands. As we obey and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, then we are changed into the person God desires us to be.

I pray we all choose to believe in Jesus. I pray our belief becomes a strong faith in Him. I pray each one of us obeys God’s commands and allows the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Believe in Jesus. Strengthen your faith. Obey God’s commands. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life. Become the person God desires you to be.

John 4:41-42 And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Mysterious Urging

Have you ever felt compelled to go a certain way or to do something specific? Have you done so, even if it did not fit your normal routine? Were you in the right place at the right time? Were you the beneficiary of being there? Can you recall that day as clear as if it were yesterday?

Some of us have experienced that weird feeling or compulsion to go somewhere or approach someone or perhaps even deliver a message. We may be the beneficiary of being that place and time, or we may be the one providing a benefit to another. But it is not an accident.

Most of us have heard the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. But there is one very short sentence we may have overlooked. It says, “But he had to go through Samaria.” We may think it was because Samaria was between Jerusalem and Galilee, which it was. What we may have missed is the Jews would go around Samaria when traveling from anywhere north of Samaria to Jerusalem and vice versa. Why? They were enemies and the Jews looked at the Samaritans with contempt.

But Jesus HAD to go through it. Why? He needed to meet the woman. He needed to reach the people of Sychar. Samaritans were considered half-breeds by the Jews. They were outsiders. This is the beginning of the gospel spreading to non-Jews. Jesus, in His first year of ministry, was reaching beyond the Jewish people. He wasn’t waiting to send the apostles. Jesus went through Samaria as part of His mission.

Our mission may carry us to places we would not normally go. My wife and I recently planned to go up to a mountain lookout to watch the sunset. We were running late and almost didn’t go, but I felt we should. While at the lookout, a young couple approached us and asked for a ride down. They had taken an Uber up, but the Uber left. They called another one, but it couldn’t get in the gate because the inbound gate closed at 7PM. They were stranded. God had urged us to go, even though we were a little late, so that we could give that couple a ride down the mountain.

I pray we all know that God moves in mysterious ways. I pray we know that he is always with us. I pray each one of us will be attentive to God urging us to do what we might otherwise not do. God works in mysterious ways. Follow God’s urging. Trust he is always with you.

John 4:4 But he had to go through Samaria.

Rock of Our Salvation

Having recently visited Phoenix, AZ, and climbed some rocky places, I can confidently tell you that rocks are solid. They don’t give way. You can stand on a rock high above the ground below and be confident it will not break. Your weight is nothing compared to the weight of the rock.

When we think of God as our rock, we cannot think of a pebble or a small rock. He is a gigantic rock! I stood on a rock that was a couple hundred feet high and several hundred feet long. No, it was not a rock formation but a single rock. God as our rock is much bigger than that.

So, when we stand on the rock of our salvation, God, we should be nothing less than fully confident. No wonder the Psalmist says we are to make a joyful noise. God, as our rock, cannot be shaken. He cannot fail. Our weight does not even compare to us holding a feather in our hand. He holds the entire world in his hands. Yet we are significant to him.

Sing out to God. Sing your favorite hymn. Sing a new song that has burst into your heart. Just sing. For God loves to hear our praises in song. They make God glad. They make our hearts glad. They lift our spirits and allow us to express our praises in more than words. For when the heart is glad and our spirit is glad, much more than words are being communicated.

Ensure you are standing on the rock of your salvation. Keep your feet solidly planted in him. In doing so, you will sing and make joyful noises. In doing so, your spirit will soar. For God as our rock, our solid foundation, will never fail us. Stand on that promise.

I pray we all stand on the rock of our salvation. I pray we sing to God with a joyful voice. I pray each one of us stay firmly planted on our solid foundation of God and his promises. Stand on the rock. Sing with a joyful voice. Stay firmly planted on your solid foundation. God will never fail you.

Psalm 95:1

O come, let us sing to the Lord; 

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Massah and Meribah

Do you ever wonder if God has left you? Do you wonder if he has forgotten about you? When you are experiencing difficult times, do you question God? Are there times when you feel like screaming out of frustration? Is it in those moments that you question God?

When we are going through difficult times, we may wonder if God has left us or is ignoring us. Our natural inclination is to blame someone else. So, if we can find no one else to blame, we blame God. But our perspective is limited. We only see our immediate situation.

The Israelites questioned God. Moses gave the place two specific names when they questioned God. Massah means to test. Meribah means to quarrel. From Moses’ perspective, the Israelites were testing and quarreling with God. They had forgotten or lost their faith. They were complaining that God had brought them out of Egypt to kill them.

Though we might not always think that God is with us, he never leaves us. We are to remember he is with us, even when it seems he is distant. His silence does not mean he has left us. It means he is waiting for us to fall to our knees and surrender to him. He wants us to stop trying to do it on our own and trust him to take care of it. We are not to have places of Massah and Meribah. We are to have places that demonstrate our faith.

I pray we all decide not to test or quarrel with God. I pray we know he is always with us. I pray each one of us will use moments testing to strengthen our faith and put it on display. Do not test God. Do not quarrel with God. Strengthen your faith. Demonstrate your faith.

Exodus 17:7 He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Personal Responsibility

How many times do you complain? How many times do you argue over the smallest of things? Have you had a true need and not know where to turn?  Have you experienced having little or no faith your situation would be resolved? Have sat quietly and trusted God to provide?

Our culture has become a culture of complaint. We complain about nearly everything under the sun. We complain about aches and pains. We complain about decisions of others that have nothing to do with us. We complain about our jobs. We complain about the state of our country.

The Israelites complained to Moses. They moaned and groaned and pleaded with him to give water to drink. Now, water is a necessity. Without it, we won’t live long. However, it appears their complaining was not merely asking Moses for it, but they were whining and sniveling and being obnoxious about it. Moses being their leader, they thought he could or should provide it.

How many times do we go to a leader for something we think they should provide? Perhaps we should ask if it is a necessity or a nice to have. Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we can take care of it ourselves. Leaders are inundated with complaints. Sometimes those complaints turn into sniveling and whining. In some cases, the individual knows the answer, knows they can provide for themselves, and still comes to the leader. They want someone else to do it for them.

Our first response should be to ask God. Asking God and trusting him is always the best approach. That doesn’t mean that we may not need to seek counsel from a leader or ask their input. It does mean that we need to take some personal responsibility for ourselves. We also need to trust God to be our provider.

I pray we all go to God in prayer, asking him to provide for our needs. I pray we trust God will provide. I pray each one of us will take personal responsibility and seek leaders only when needed. Ask God to provide. Trust God will provide. Take personal responsibility.

Exodus 17:2 The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”

Accept Salvation

How do you view the world? Do you see it as black or white, right or wrong, good or bad? Does your view include gray areas, degrees of right and wrong, the possibility of best, good, not good, bad, worst? How do those views apply to your view of Jesus?

We often use gradients to describe the variations between good and bad. We have a scale in our minds between 1 and 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. We are used to grading or judging things based on that scale. We apply it nearly every aspect of our lives.

We are told that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it. We are also told that He is the judge. So, how do we interpret that? He can be both the judge and have the desire to save. The purpose behind Jesus stepping into His creation is to save it. He didn’t come to save part of it but all of it. He came to redeem the world, a world that was disobedient.

Just because that was the purpose for Jesus coming into the world does not mean that all will accept His redeeming grace. That is where His judgment comes in. He came to offer Himself to bring all of creation back into a right relationship with God. It was a selfless act. It was a righteous act. It was God’s grace on display in the most obvious way.

All of creation has a choice. We can accept God’s grace by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior or we can reject Him. There is no gray area. There are no conditions set. It is not for a select few. It is for all. When we accept Him, we are saved. Our sins are forgiven, both past and future. The offer has been made. Will we accept it or reject it? The choice is ours.

I pray we all know that Jesus came into the world to save it. I pray we know He is the judge. I pray each one of us will accept God’s gracious offer of salvation. Jesus came to save rather than condemn. Jesus is judge. Jesus is Savior. Accept God’s gracious offer. Accept salvation.

John 3:17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.”