Text:
[I Samuel 16:7].
The setting - the anointing of David, Jesse's 8th and youngest son to be prepared to replace Saul as King of Israel.
How do you see other people?
1. There
is a difference between God's perceptions and ours. We are conditioned by
externals, He is not. Which do you think is the more reliable?
Let
me ask you?
How
do you see people? Have you ever
looked at someone and concluded that he/she would never amount to much? Perhaps
you evaluated their education, background, financial status and the way they
were currently living their lives and essentially wrote them off. Unfortunately,
we have likely all done this. Or
worse, have you ever had anyone draw such conclusions about you?
The truth is most of us wait to find out who we are from the impressions and opinions we get from other people. Feedback is good, especially positive ones, but we should not depend on them. Many times people lies to us. They tell us what they believe we want to hear. They tell us what they can see or make something up. We look more at outside rather than the heart or inside.
Remember what 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."
2. When
it comes to doing the Lord's business, the heart matters. What was He
looking for?
A. The Shepherd heart: Like Abel, Moses, and Jesus
B. What qualities of the heart?
1.
Selflessness
2.
Alertness (protective)
3.
Tenderness (when lamb is hurt)
4.
Ability to discipline
5.
Nourishing/healing
6.
Cooperative (sharing with other shepherds)
3. A
heart after God - in the Psalms, look at the number of references to the
Heart (starting with 4:4, only looking at David's Psalms)
A. The
well being of the heart becomes our most important responsibility.
B. We are learning what to do to keep our body heart
well
1.
Good diet, lower the cholesterol, monitor what kind of fat - olive oil is
"in"
2.
Adequate exercise - walking
B. But what about our soul's heart?
1.
What are we feeding it, and
2.
How is it being exercised?
L & G, it doesn’t matter how big you are or how
smart you may be, when you allow people to mess with your what is inside, you
will be set for failure. Also, we
see other people we have to see what God sees.
When we see what God sees, then we will begin appreciating.
It doesn't what people say about you, you are
awesome, terrific, you are number 1, you are wonderful, ......We need to
recognize together that the Lord has given to each of us gifts and abilities,
according to his grace. Our task is not to judge the gifts of others, but to use
the ones God has given to us.
How
Did You Spent Your Day?
Is anybody happier? Because you passed his way?
Does
anyone remember? That you spoke to him today?
This
day is almost over, And its toiling time is through;
Is
there anyone to utter now
A
friendly word for you?
Can
you say tonight in passing With the day that slipped so fast,
That
you helped a single person Of the many that you passed?
Is
a single heart rejoicing?
Over
what you did or said?
James Michener says, inside, is the journey men and women make to find themselves. If they fail in this, they will fail in everything else.