6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:6-7

We spend much time working on our appearance, which means more than just our physical appearance. It’s how we look. It’s how much we’ve studied. It’s how much money we have. It’s our jobs. It’s our influence. Our outward appearance includes how we look and try to control how others perceive us. We want to be admired and revered. And let’s say we were David and knew God was looking for the next king. Honestly, how would you prepare? You’d probably study politics, look to gain some stature in the community, and clean up your physical appearance. It’s safe to say modern society is all about appearances. How do you look to others? How can you appear the most appealing for the success you’re trying to achieve? But this is not what God looks for.

What was David doing when Samuel came looking for the king? He was tending sheep. His face was “glowing with health” as he spent all his days under the sun. He didn’t care about outward appearances. What did he care about? His heart. What was at the core of his being? In his heart of hearts, what was the driving force in his life? At the core of David’s heart was the desire to please God. That’s it. He feared only God. And in his faith, he entrusted everything to God. He didn’t lean on his outward appearance to gain anything in life. It was all about God.

Did David dream of becoming king? I know we’re told to dream big and that having a dream is important, but as Christians, sometimes we can waste time fantasizing about an outcome that in fact, poisons us and has us squander valuable time and effort. Instead, how about entrusting everything to God, that is, placing everything in His hands and obeying His Word moment to moment without peering too far into the future? Entrust, obey, and then wait patiently! Wait for the moment God sets us high instead of us being the active agent and trying to map our destiny.

The next question remains, how do we live with a heart that fears God; believes in God; depends on God; obeys God; and perseveres? In every situation, we must recognize God is present. We’re standing face-to-face with our mortal enemy. Is it just the two of us in that space? No! God is standing right behind him. Whatever comes our way, good or bad, our hearts stay pure when we recognize God is behind all of it. When someone praises us or curses us, it’s God working through that person. When we meet great fortune or utter misfortune, we recognize God is behind it. Our hearts stay in the right place when we live knowing God is the master behind everything we face!

Now, when we face adversity, prosperity, or the mundane, we recognize God is behind it, and He’s working hard for our salvation. It’s our job to recognize this and repent when we should repent, be grateful when we should be grateful, persevere when we should persevere, and work harder when we should work harder! A million things happen between God and us. Recognize God is using all these things to construct our salvation and make us better.

Next, we must connect to His power to do all the right things we need to do in every situation God throws at us. When we meet great adversity, we overcome by connecting to His Blood, the Holy Inspiration, and Truth. This is our lifeline! We are bound for destruction if we are severed from His blood, Holy Inspiration, and Truth. There’s no way out.

God looks at our hearts. God does not look at appearance or stature. Remember that, and don’t waste your life building things God has no interest in; God looks at your heart. When everything else falls away, at your heart of hearts, do you want to please God? Do you fear Him and entrust Him with everything? Do you recognize God is behind everything? When we connect to His power and keep our hearts pure, God chooses us just as He chose David. It’s the only way to receive His blessings and be set high!

Click for Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1986-4-9-full?si=591c4cfd743642e08833fe2292aa13e2&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing