Verse of the Day 8/20

Verse of the Day 8/20

1 Samuel 16:7 ^???? But the??Lord??said to Samuel, ???Don???t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The??Lord??doesn???t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the??Lord??looks at the heart.??????????? New Living Translation (NLT)

My Old Testament reading today was in the book of 1 Samuel and the familiar passage where God spoke to Samuel about choosing the next leader for Israel.?? Today, as back then, people make judgments by appearance, height or other physical traits.?? Snap judgments are made without knowing anything about the person.?? Today's verse should be a reminder, a note to all of us; we too should be more concerned with the heart and a persons true, inner character.?? The heart has to do with spiritual qualities not physical.

A.W. Tozer writes, "The solution to life's problems is spiritual because the essence of life is spiritual.?? It is astonishing how many difficulties clear up without any effort when the inner life gets straightened out......Prayer, humility, and a generous application of the Spirit of Christ will cure just about any disease in the body of believers (the church).?? Yet it is actually the last thing we think when difficulties arise.?? We often attempt to cure spiritual ills with carnal medicines, and the results are more than disappointing."

Read the passage below.?? David wasn't even considered among his brothers because of his age.?? God wasn't concerned about that, He looked at the heart.?? We tend to rely on those easily observable traits when choosing?? people to solve life's problems. We'd be better off calling on the Spirit to help us see through the physical to matters of the heart.

Only a boy named David
Only a little sling
Only a boy named David
But he could pray and sing
Only a boy named David
Only a rippling brook
Only a boy named David
But five little stones he took.

And one little stone went in the sling
And the sling went round and round
And one little stone went in the sling
And the sling went round and round
And round and round
And round and round
And round and round and round
And one little prayer went up to God
And the giant came tumbling down.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

1 Samuel 16:4-13??New King James Version (NKJV)

^4??So Samuel did what the??Lord??said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town??trembled at his coming, and said,?????Do you come peaceably????

^5??And he said, ???Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the??Lord.??Sanctify^[a]??yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.??? Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

^6??So it was, when they came, that he looked at??Eliab and??said, ???Surely the??Lord???s anointed??is??before Him!???

^7??But the??Lord??said to Samuel,?????Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have??^[b]refused him.??For^[c]??the??Lord??does??not??see??as man sees; for man??looks at the outward appearance, but the??Lord??looks at the??heart.???

^8??So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, ???Neither has the??Lord??chosen this one.?????^9??Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ???Neither has the??Lord??chosen this one.?????^10??Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, ???The??Lord??has not chosen these.?????^11??And Samuel said to Jesse, ???Are all the young men here???? Then he said, ???There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the??sheep.???

And Samuel said to Jesse, ???Send and bring him. For we will not??^[d]sit down till he comes here.?????^12??So he sent and brought him in. Now he??wasruddy,??with??^[e]bright eyes, and good-looking.??And the??Lord??said, ???Arise, anoint him; for this??is??the one!?????^13??Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and??the Spirit of the??Lordcame upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.