Tag Archives: Heart

January 26, 2021 · 8:16 am

1 Samuel 16:7 – Ladies Edition

Old Testament Promises

A Five Minute Devotional

The video shown below is the devotional from January 26th, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.

Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Ruth Wiram

WELCOME

Hello!  My name is Ruth and I would like to share with you Today’s Good News, Ladies Edition!

INTRODUCTION

I want to read to you a poem entitled Judge Not

I was shocked, confused, bewildered

As I entered Heaven’s door,

Not by the beauty of it all,

Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven

Who made me sputter and gasp–

The thieves, the liars, the sinners,

The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade..

Who swiped my lunch money twice.

Next to him was my old neighbor

Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought

Was rotting away in hell,

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,

Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal?

I would love to hear Your take.

How’d all these sinners get up here?

God must’ve made a mistake.

‘And why’s everyone so quiet,

So somber – give me a clue.’

‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘they’re all in shock.

No one thought they’d be seeing you.’

PROMISE

The Bible promise we are studying today is found at the end of the verse in 1 Samuel 16:7. 

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

We tend to judge the character and worth of others by looking at outward appearances. If a person is tall, good-looking, and nicely dressed, then he or she possesses physical qualities that we generally admire and respect. 

But God has the unique ability to see inside a person. 

God knows our true character because He “looks at the heart.”  Moral and spiritual qualities are far more important to God than outward appearance.

The heart in Scripture is a person’s inner moral and spiritual life. The heart is the core, the inner essence of who we are.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.  And the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

My hope and prayer is that when God looks into our hearts, He sees hearts that are seeking Him.

GOD’S HEART

But, how do we seek God With our Whole Hearts?

This is a work of the Holy Spirit.  And I definitely don’t have it all “figured out”! So, if you feel me; like you’re lost in a sea of worldly distractions, and you don’t know how to seek God wholeheartedly, rest assured you are not alone. 

There are three things we can do to seek God whole-heartedly.

OUR ATTITUDE

One is to approach God with an attitude of fear, reverence, awe and worship.

Do you ever stop and think about how amazing it is that God created you? That He knew you even before you were born?  God created us for a relationship with Him, and He desires our full devotion and adoration.

The second thing we can do to seek God whole-heartedly is to cultivate a humble and repentant heart.

Since we know God is worthy of all praise and glory, we should seek Him with humble hearts. We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory, and yet He gave His only Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins. So, if we’re to seek God honestly and openly, we need to confess our sins regularly, repent, and make a sincere effort to turn away from them.

This brings us to our last point; which is to lean on God’s grace. 

As we’re seeking God, it can be tempting to try and accomplish things in our own strength, like trying to love difficult people, or being more generous with our resources.  But at the end of the day, we find ourselves still falling short.

I can’t tell you how many days I’ve tried to pray continually, or love my neighbors, or stay focused on Jesus, but felt  I was failing miserably.  What I realized is that I was TRYING to do all those things, without seeking God. It’s only when I make a point to come to God first thing in the morning and throughout the day, that I can do these things.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I can also rest in His Grace and not feel guilty for the areas where I fall short.

If our aim is to genuinely seek Him, we WILL find Him. 

Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

And that Ladies, is Today’s Good News.

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January 19, 2021 · 9:02 am

1 SAMUEL 16:7

Old Testament Promises

A Five Minute Devotiomnal

The video shown below is the devotional from January 18th, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.

Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram

WELCOME

Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News.

INTRODUCTION

Presently, Today’s Good News is doing a series on Old Testament Promises. The focus of today’s lesson is 1 Samuel 16:7 which involves the subject of outward appearance. Before looking closely at that verse, I want to share a non-Biblical story to help us get the right perspective on this topic.

One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church wearing clothes that were ragged and worn, though they were spotlessly clean. The church was in a wealthy area and the attire of the congregation reflected that. No one welcomed the old cowboy or even sat near him. As he was leaving, the preacher approached him and said, “Before you come back, please ask God what He thinks would be appropriate attire for you to worship here.” The old cowboy said he would do that. The next Sunday, he showed up wearing the same ragged clothes. Once again, the congregation completely shunned him. This time, when the preacher approached the old cowboy, he said, “I thought you promised to ask God what He thinks would be appropriate attire for you to worship here. “I did,” replied the old cowboy. “What did He tell you?” asked the preacher. The old cowboy answered, “Well, sir, God told me that He didn’t have a clue what I should wear. He said He’d never been in this church.”

Have you ever been to a church like that? I have and I’m very thankful that Calvary Chapel Rosarito is very much the opposite. I hope and pray that it always will be. But, the story does give us a very clear illustration of how  judging by outward appearance can be so wrong.

Now, let’s take a look at today’s Scripture to see what it has to say about outward appearance and to see what we can learn from the promise that Scripture holds. 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

GIVE US A KING!

These are instructions God gave Samuel as He sent him to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s Sons to replace Saul as King. Before Saul, when Israel was straying from God, He would send nations to conquer them, to get their attention, then He would send a Judge to save them. When Samuel was getting old, he intended to set up his Sons as Judges, though they did not walk in his ways. But the Elders of Israel rejected that, insisting that they have a King, like other nations. That displeased Samuel but, in 1 Samuel 8:7, God told Samuel,  “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” And, in verse 9, He went on to say, “However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” When Samuel gave that forewarning to the people, he gave them a long list of negatives that they could expect from having a King rule over them instead of God. At first, Saul’s reign went well for the people, as he sought to obey God’s will. Eventually, though, he ruled according to his own will and God’s forewarnings came to pass.

THE KING’S APPEARANCE

When Samuel anointed Saul as King, it was obvious that his outward appearance played a part in Saul being accepted as King. No doubt, warning against making that mistake again is a goal of 1 Samuel 16:7. But, greater than God’s warning to “not look at … appearance or … physical stature” is the promise included in the reminder that, instead of that, “the Lord looks at the heart.”

THE KING’S HEART

In following the instructions of 1 Samuel 16:7, Samuel anointed David as King. What are the first things you think of when you think of King David? Goliath? Bathsheba? Absalom? For me, first and foremost I think of him as “A man after God’s own heart”. But what does that mean?

We know that it doesn’t mean that David was morally better than everyone else. Bathsheba, who we just mentioned, is a great example of that. The meaning that can easily be missed from man’s point of view is that David had a heart that was willing to be compliant with what was on God’s heart. That included choosing David as the first ruler to sit on the throne of God’s everlasting kingdom, foreshadowing Jesus in many ways. His life pointed forward to the Messiah, the Son of David, who would come to be our Savior and King. That is the great promise included in the reminder that, “the Lord looks at the heart.”

GOD’S HEART

And, that promise holds a great lesson for us about how we can be men and women after God’s own heart. It doesn’t mean that we are sinless but that we are seeking after God, that our hearts are open and submissive to God, and that when we do sin, like David, we confess and repent. Our hearts really matter to God. And, if we truly become men and women after God’s own heart, He can and will use us, as He did David.

And THAT, is Today’s Good News.

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