The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
—1 Samuel 16:7
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
Have you ever wondered how many potentially good friends you may have lost simply by judging them on your first impression of them? And how many people that you looked at that seemed to be remarkable, ended up turning out to be not very good people? I’m amazed at how the first impression we have of many people very seldom tells us much about their substance. We’re not really going to be able to evaluate people properly until the LORD reveals what is really in their hearts at judgment. But we also know that what comes out of people’s mouths and what we see in their behavior emanate from their hearts (Matthew 15:18-19). Over time, we do get to see what their hearts are about: their hearts reveal the person inside them. So, don’t you think that we should give people time to reveal what is in their hearts before we decide about them? Let’s not judge people prematurely by their outward appearances; let’s give them time to reveal their hearts! And let’s remember that God knows and will judge each of us by our hearts, and not by our appearances (Proverbs 16:2, 17:3).
My Prayer…
Father, you alone know each heart. Please help me be more patient with others before forming an opinion about them. Please give me eyes to see them as Jesus does and treat them as I would love to be treated. Father, I don’t want to make preliminary judgments about people, good or bad. Please help me be patient as I wait to see their hearts come to light in the way they talk to others and in their behaviors. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
