Greetings everyone!!
1st Samuel chapter 16.
God's plans are often not what we expect. God doesn't function on our thought processes. But on his own. We often judge people according to how they look on the outside: How they dress. How clean they look. Their body built. Their social status. Their job. Their income. Their position. But God looks past all of that. He simply looks at the heart.
Let's get rid of all the other stuff we use to judge people and let's look at the heart.
For me, here are the key questions we need to think about before God:
*What does my heart say?” Do I love the Lord? Am I willing to be used by him? Am I willing to be all he wants me to be? Am I willing to go where he wants me to go?
I think of 1st Corinthians 1:26-29 where it says:
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were Wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before God because of their own abilities.”
When God called me I didn't like myself. I was insecure. I lacked confidence. I did not feel popular. But I do remember being willing to be used by God. It took a lot of prodding on God's part. He had to send people to encourage me and help build my confidence, but I was willing.
God is not looking for the well-established person. He's looking for the willing.
The willing could be the insecure or the confident.
The willing could be the foolish or the wise.
The willing could be the not so popular or the very very popular.
The willing could be the not so gifted to the extraordinary really gifted.
The willing could be the one struggling mentally, with anxiety or depression. Or the one who has it all together.
The willing could be the physically disabled person, or the greatest sports figure.
In other words, God could call anyone of us.
The question is: “Are you willing?” Lay your heart before the Lord and see what he does!
Great thoughts today about how God looks at the heart and how we can ask ourselves if we are willing to be used by Him! I’m reminded of how Jesus dealt with Zacchaeus in Luke 19. The people weren’t happy about Jesus hanging out with such a sinner, but Jesus was being Jesus. We see His mission in Luke 19:10. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
God looks at the heart. The heart of Zacchaeus was changed for the better after encountering Jesus, but we see another man in Mark 10:17-27 who had a heart that didn’t want to follow Jesus as much as he wanted to hold on to his own wealth. That was such a sad choice for him to make and for others who still make that choice today!
We read that the Spirit of God had left Saul and a harmful spirit came to torment him. This harmful spirit was “from” the Lord as far as it was being allowed by God to harass Saul probably in a similar way that God gave permission to Satan to go after Job, but there were certain limitations. While people have freewill and we see the results of their choices, we also know that God is sovereign. All of creation is under His control. I think that this evil spirit was part of the consequences for Saul’s disobedience that we saw in the previous chapters. Satan and the demons always want to attack people and I think especially those who are in leadership positions. We see that God simply gave permission for the evil spirit to do that. We can also see how God used this harmful spirit as a way to bring David into Saul’s life.
I was thinking of how we may not always understand why God does what He does, but He always does what is best. Check out Isaiah 55:9.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Such good points made by you both on today’s reading. We can’t see into a person’s heart like God can but we can see their fruit. Saints, past and present, are recognized by their fruit. A good vine produces lots of good fruit, a bad vine doesn’t.
John 15:4-5 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
I also like that what God is telling us when this godly young man (David) played music and the demons fled. There is power in praise & worship!!