The Upper Room Daily Devotional 5th June 2023
The Upper Room 5th June 2023 Daily Devotional, Monday Message by Wayne Greenawalt (Illinois, USA)
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TOPIC: Looking at the Heart
TODAY’S READING
1 Samuel 16:1-7
KEY VERSE: 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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
MESSAGE: I drove to the school where my wife teaches kindergarten to deliver a package. I opened her classroom door only to find she had stepped out. As I stood in the doorway, one of the students asked, “Who are you?” My response was, “Who do you think I am?” When a student replied, “You’re her father,” I said, “No.” Then another student called out, “You’re her grandfather!” Abruptly, I responded, “I’m her husband!” The students looked bewildered. Apparently, to kindergartners anyone with gray hair is an oldster! Appearances can be misleading.
This was Samuel’s experience when the Lord sent him to Bethlehem to anoint the next king of Israel. When Samuel met Jesse’s firstborn son, Eliab, Samuel thought, based on Eliab’s appearance, Surely, the Lord’s anointed stands before me. But the Lord rejected Eliab. Then God warned Samuel about judging people by appearance alone: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Appearance alone does not reveal an individual’s true self. God values the characteristics of integrity, faith, and dependability above a pleasing persona, and we should do the same in assessing the character of others.
TODAY’S PRAYER
O Lord, help us not to judge others by appearance alone but strive to discern their inner qualities. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God values my character more than my appearance.
PRAYER FOCUS
Kindergarten teachers
The Upper Room 5th June 2023, is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More.
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