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- Apr 25, 2006
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Don't judge a book by its cover
'... man looks at the outward appearance' 1 Samuel 16:7
How often do you judge people by the way they look? They're carrying a big, battered Bible, so they must be holy. They've got nice hair and makeup, so they must be rich. They've got a sad face, so they must be no fun. You may not even know you're doing it; but we all do! The prophet Samuel was just the same. One day God sent him to find someone to be Israel's next king. Samuel saw a very impressive-looking guy and thought, 'This must be the one.' Uh-uh.
God measures with a different yardstick to us '... man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'. Little weedy, red-faced David was the one God had His eye on to do big things.
So if you're feeling a bit down on yourself because of the way you look, don't. God can do big things with you. And in the same way, don't judge other people just for the way they look; give them a chance, and try to see the good things inside them that God sees too. For all you know, they could be the next David; shepherd boy turned king. Or think about Paul; people of his day saw him as a 'weakling [who] mumbles when he talks' (2 Corinthians 10:10 TM). But God not only used his words in a massive chunk of the Bible but used the force of his tough life to change history.
written by Bob Gass
'... man looks at the outward appearance' 1 Samuel 16:7
How often do you judge people by the way they look? They're carrying a big, battered Bible, so they must be holy. They've got nice hair and makeup, so they must be rich. They've got a sad face, so they must be no fun. You may not even know you're doing it; but we all do! The prophet Samuel was just the same. One day God sent him to find someone to be Israel's next king. Samuel saw a very impressive-looking guy and thought, 'This must be the one.' Uh-uh.
God measures with a different yardstick to us '... man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'. Little weedy, red-faced David was the one God had His eye on to do big things.
So if you're feeling a bit down on yourself because of the way you look, don't. God can do big things with you. And in the same way, don't judge other people just for the way they look; give them a chance, and try to see the good things inside them that God sees too. For all you know, they could be the next David; shepherd boy turned king. Or think about Paul; people of his day saw him as a 'weakling [who] mumbles when he talks' (2 Corinthians 10:10 TM). But God not only used his words in a massive chunk of the Bible but used the force of his tough life to change history.
written by Bob Gass
