Tag: <span>outward appearance</span>

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:6-8


Sometimes I cringe at how often we make judgments about people’s behavior or actions from things we hear or read or see: tidbits of gossip – (internet – is bad for that), rumors or slanted opinions (the media). If you have ever been on the receiving end of these judgments, you have experienced how painful it is to be judged on false information.

But often, we ourselves can be guilty of spreading rumors. We, too, judge or criticize others on partial truths without knowing the whole picture. Sometimes people take credit for deeds others have actually accomplished and it doesn’t seem fair. It is our humanness, isn’t it? We are sinners and we are weak.

I find it so encouraging to know that God always judges fairly. He knows everything about us. What we do, what we think, what we could have done. He knows and has given us our gifts and talents. He knows the circumstances surrounding our actions, yet His attitude toward us is always enveloped with love.

Dr. Bill Bright, in his book, God, Discover the Benefits of His Attributes, states:

Because God is just -He will always treat me fairly.”

Not only does He judge us fairly regarding questionable thoughts and actions, He rewards us for the good we do. As JI Packer states in His book, Knowing God Through the Year:

To reward good with good, and evil with evil, is natural with God. The retributive principle applies throughout: Christians as well as non-Christians will receive according to their works.

Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. But remember this, God is fair!

God will see that each person sooner or later receives what he deserves – if not here, then hereafter.” JI Packer

God, when I see and hear about the suffering of the thousands of people throughout the world, I sometimes wonder about the fairness of what is happening. It is so comforting to know that You will sooner or later give each person what he/she deserves. Thank You! Amen.

by Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

•  Feelings, Forgiveness and Peace | by Dr. Muriel Larson

•  How to Experience God’s Love and Forgiveness (3 parts)

•  Salvation Explained


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thoughts by Katherine Kehler Thoughts by Women

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:3

The prevailing sentiment regarding wealth and the wealthy has at its core the belief that the more material goods a person possesses, the more me-centered is that individual.

However, watching a recent television program shattered that perspective for me. The man at the podium ‘eyes hidden by the bill of a baseball cap, blonde hair skimming his shoulder and casual jacket partially zipped, ‘read from one of the books he has authored. While not denying the hardships of life on the streets, for well over an hour he described his preferred lifestyle as a homeless person living on the streets of a major U.S. city for almost fifteen years. He did not berate society for placing him in such a position, rather he touted the advantages of his chosen way of living. Nearly every sentence alluded to the “freedom he experienced” he chose when, how, when and where to eat, sleep, bathe.  He discussed the friendships he made with store and restaurant owners, police officers and fellow wanderers, but the friendship lasted only if these people met his emotional needs for understanding and empathy.

Today millions of people find themselves homeless due to the vagaries of our current economy, and we in the West should be red-faced with shame when we see young children around the world scavenging garbage heaps to find sufficient resources to feed themselves and their families.

But poverty, whether the grinding, relentless sort that dehumanizes, or the more temporary kind that gnaws at one’s self-esteem, does not eliminate me-ism. All of us must guard against the belief that when we possess less, we are somehow more holy while those who enjoy abundance are lower on the spiritual ladder.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
(1 Samuel 16:7)

Help me, Lord, to relate to you and others not on the basis of material possessions. May my vision increasingly be like yours.

by Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission

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thoughts by Marilyn Ehle Thoughts by Women