FIRST IMPRESSIONS
READ:
1
Samuel 16:1-7
For
man looks at the outward
appearance,
but the LORD looks
at
the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7
As I shopped for groceries one day, I
was perceived as a thief by one person and a hero by another.
As I exited the supermarket, an employee
said, “Excuse me, Sir. There are too may unbagged items in your
cart.” This is evidently a strategy
used by shoplifters. When he saw that
they were products too big to be bagged, he apologized and sent me on my way.
In the parking lot, a woman glanced at
my gold embroidered sportsman’s cap.
Mistaking it for a military hat, she said, “Thank you for defending our country!”
Then she walked away.
The supermarket employee and the woman
in the parking lot had each formed hasty conclusions about me. It’s easy to form opinions of others based on
first impressions.
When Samuel was to select the next king
of Israel from the sons of Jesse, he too made a judgment based on first
impressions. However, God’s chosen was
not any of the older sons. The Spirit
told Samuel, “Do not look at his
appearance or at his physical stature” (1
Samuel 16:7). God chose David,
the youngest, who looked least like a king.
God can help us view people through His
eyes, for “the LORD does not see as man sees;…the LORD looks
at the heart” (v.7). – Dennis Fisher
If
we could view through eyes of faith
The
people we meet each day
We’d
quickly see God’s gracious hand
In
all who come our way. –D. DeHaan
*********************************************
First
impressions can often lead to wrong conclusions.
INSIGHT
David
acknowledged that God had searched his heart and knew him inside out (Psalm
17:3; 139:1). And so God commended him
as “a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22). Paul carried this theme further by warning
against putting up appearances because of “the day when God will judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:16; 1 Corinthians 4:5).
Have a blessed day and weekend.
God Our Creator’s Love Always
Unity & Peace
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