Title: Tall, Dark & Wrong / Topic: Discernment

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 15; 1 Samuel 16; 1 Chronicles 5; Matthew 1

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:6-7
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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Observation: Samuel jumps to a conclusion based on Eliab's appearance. He assumes that because Eliab is tall, dark, and handsome, he must the God's choice to succeed Saul as king. But God stops him and corrects him. And in doing so, the Lord tells us some very important things about Himself. Namely, that He has a different way of looking at things. God looks from the inside out. And He is training Samuel to grow in the ability to look at things that same way.

Application: God wants each of us to have His perspective on things -- especially the way we look at people. Studies have shown that more attractive children get better treatment from their teachers than less attractive kids. It's human nature to favor good looking people. We tend to think that people who look good are good. But God says no. Looks can be deceiving. There is a level of spiritual discernment that is available to His children to detect the inner condition of a person. I know that many times I have met people who looked fine on the outside but something didn't seem right. God was letting me know that I needed to pay attention to their inner condition so that I might be wise in my dealings with them. And the converse can also be true. People who look a little rough around the edges can be good as gold on the inside. Ask God to give you His heart and wisdom for people.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You function on a deeper level. You look at the heart. Help us to grow in our ability to see others as You see them and, more importantly, to love others as You do. Give greater discernment to Your people so we will not be taken in by the pretenders and we will not reject those "fixer-uppers" You bring our way.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.