DAY 9: 1 SAMUEL

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Dear Christian,

The Lord cares about your heart.

When it was time for Samuel to anoint a king, he mistakenly thought it would be one of David’s older brothers. But the Lord reminds us that, unlike man, He looks on the heart.

This is a good reminder for us today. Often we are attracted by what is humanly impressive. We are tempted to seek and run after status, influence, possessions, and power — forgetting that God cares more about the inner qualities of our hearts rather than outward beauty or worldly achievements.

Fame, power, beauty, and money are not wrong by any means. But when we treasure all that above God and man? We end up using people to gain God’s gifts instead of using God’s gifts to bless one another. 

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

I pray that we would have eyes to see as God sees and that we would have hearts that value what God values. And that our focus would turn from building our own little kingdoms to imitating the humility, obedience, and faithfulness of Christ.

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Created as part of the Books of the Bible Collection where I meditate on God’s beauty and faithfulness from beginning to end for 66 days from Genesis to Revelation. Each painting will be accompanied by an envelope containing a personal reflection based on the text the painting is based on.

An 8x10 inch original watercolor painting on 100% cold pressed cotton paper, 2023.