The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday          1Samuel 15:10-23

Tuesday         1Samuel 15:24-31

Wednesday   1Samuel 15:32-35

Thursday       1Samuel 16:1-5

Friday             Acts 13:17-22

Saturday        1Samuel 17:48-49

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, let us daily take time to examine our heart.

In Jesus’ name,  AMEN

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Oh, this is such a good verse. As God is talking about David, who, Scripture will later say, is a man after his own heart. He didn’t have the appearance and a variety of other things that his brothers had, but he did have the heart, that 1 Samuel 16:7 says is what God focuses on. There’s so much we could talk about here, so many different directions we could go. I want to take it in two different directions as we pray. One, I want to remind you and me that what is most important before God is the state of our hearts, not of our looks or our appearance in a variety of different ways.

1 Samuel 16:7 teaches us to focus on the heart, not outward appearance.

We are all so tempted to focus on what we look like, how we appear before others. I’m not even just saying physically, our appearance, although we do spend a good amount of time in mirrors, looking at our appearances and evaluating our appearances, but also, we just spend so much time, even unconsciously, thinking about what do others think about me? What do others see in me? I just want to encourage you, focus instead on your heart before God. This is most important. Put your focus there. Think about that all the time. God, help me to tend to my heart that it might be pleasing to you. Form my heart. Transform my heart at the core of who I am. May my heart be filled with love for you and love for others, and cultivate that kind of heart.

Second, look at others this way. Look at their hearts. Look beyond people’s outward appearance and what the world might say, is most important on the outside, not just… Again, looks could be money, success, status. No. Look at people’s hearts and let that lead you to love them well. Meaning to love them, serve them, care for them in such a way that you encourage their hearts, in such a way that you build up their hearts, and, most importantly, their relationship with God at the core of who they are.

1 Samuel 16:7 pictures a life devoted to God from the inside out.

I want people in my life who are encouraging my heart and helping me grow in love for God, and so be that kind of person in others’ lives. We pray, God, we pray that you would help us to see as you see ourselves this way. God, we pray for hearts that are pleasing to you. We want what was said of David to be said of us, that we were people, men, women, after your heart who hearts were humbled before you, hearts were in awe of you, hearts adoring, loving you with all that we have, all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength.

David Platt