Your Hands
"But those who do right will continue to do right, and those whose hands are not dirty with sin will grow stronger"
Job 17:9
A business woman once told me she judges people by the their hands (if they are properly manicured or not) and by their shoes (expensive and polished or cheap and worn out).
My hands are not pretty. My nails are very weak and always split or break. I love gardening, but so often forget to wear my gardening gloves. And with arthritis in the joints of most of my fingers - well, if you would judge me by the appearance of my hands, I wouldn't get a good grade.
But God doesn't judge us by our outward appearance.
"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
The heart and mind determine what we do with our hands.
Max Lucado, in his book, Just Like Jesus, wrote perceptively about the power of our hands. In essence he wrote:
We can touch gently...or we can slap with anger. We can write loving, encouraging notes...or write sarcastic and mean letters. We can give gifts...or we can steal. We can hold out our hands in a welcoming gesture...or hold them stiffly by our sides. We can hold them restfully on our laps or wring them in distress. We can ball them into fists or hold someone's hand.
Our hands say so much about what is going on inside our hearts and minds. What are your hands saying about you today?
Father, search our hearts today. Have our hands been pleasing to You? Amen.
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/11/10/kk_hands/
Tags: depend, encourage, faithful, friend, Jesus, mercy, peace
November 10th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Thanks for this thoughtful devotional.
God looks at our hearts, so let us keep our hearts clean and holy.
Blessings.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:33 am
A wonderful thought to examine ourselves if we are qualified in GOD's standard,
as NO ONE is qualified for greatness- by GOD's standard until his or her HEART
is ready.Skills, intelligence and hard work are all a part of the package. But GOD reminds us that, in the Final analysis HE looks on the basis of inward character, NOT on the basis of outward impressiveness.
Thank you Katherine for a great devotional message to examine our Hearts.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Whats in our HEART goes into our MIND and whats in our MIND the mouth speaketh. Its also about the hands... whatever the words written in the song
reflects the character of the singer. GOD bless you for todays message and may this be blessing to all.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
One of the many things that I like doign with my hands is holding another ones hands when they are feeling down. God gave us these hands for beign gentle and writing beautiful words.Feel that if we used our hands for love instead of hitting that the world would be so much better< Would it not be better to hold out our hands in peace instead of using our hands in war.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:21 am
onces in my life lost the hands who always me keep warm and feel confident always. the lost of that hands is give me the attitude that i am the only one who struggle in this world tha thand s is always help me in many way,that hands is the hands of my MOTHER the only person who gave his love and helping hands in many ways to us her children when she died i felt lonely and lost may confident .....but in many way and no explanations i always felt that hands be always in may side and holding...