Lookin' Good!

"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.” (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT)

The Lord has sent Samuel to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, to anoint one of Jesse's sons to succeed Saul as the next king over Israel. Upon seeing Eliab, Samuel says, "Surely, this is the Lord's anointed." But, it wasn't so. Samuel proceeds through the other sons, until he inquires about David, Jesse's youngest son. He is a shepherd boy, out in the fields tending his father's sheep and goats. He is called to come inside, and the Lord says "This is the one", and Samuel anoints David with oil to become the next king.

David was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. He was a brave warrior, had good judgment, and was a talented harp player. Above all, the spirit of the Lord was with him. David later becomes known as "a man after God's own heart". However, it wasn't his physical attributes that made him successful. Even though David may not have always followed or obeyed God's law at all times, he still had a passion and a desire for loving the Lord.

Millions (or billions) of dollars are spent yearly on makeup/beauty supplies, exercise equipment/fitness center memberships, etc.---things that will make these bodies look more beautiful. There is nothing wrong with wanting to take care of yourself or wanting to look good. After all, this body is a temple of the Lord. But, when a person becomes more obsessed with looking good on the outside with no regards for the "heart and soul", there is a problem. Just this past Sunday, I posted a blog on http://www.hillsidestudents.org/ entitled, "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall", not realizing what passage of scripture I would be writing about today. The post is dealing with the same subject of the inner man vs. the outer man.

We live in a society where so much emphasis is placed upon the outward appearance. We're bombarded with TV commercials, magazine covers, etc on how to look better, how to look like a superstar. Teens develop eating disorders due to the pressure of wanting this image. Hollywood has set an agenda of looking like this or wearing that, it's hard to measure up according to their standards. There are those who will spend hours weekly, or maybe even daily, trying to "keep up", but won't take a few minutes to allow God to "dress up" their heart. Our identity should not be found in an outward image. It should be found in who God says that we are, and we must believe our worth and value is from within.

Father, may we not fall prey to the image that society tries to place upon us. May we take care of these temples in order to serve you better. May we strive to have a heart after you, oh God. Amen.