1.27.11

1 Samuel 16:6-7

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."
7 But 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."


Dear friend,

I think it is important to take care of our bodies and to look presentable to others. It may not necessarily be beneficial for me to come to work in pajama pants with "bed head" and stinky breath. :-) However, there is a more important presentation we are to be concerned with - the presenting of our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1).

Psalm 139:14 says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Proverbs 31:3 says that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says that beauty should come from the inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

Billions of dollars are spent each year on beauty products. L'Oreal pulled down world-wide sales of over 6.4 billion in the first quarter of 2010 and this is only one company in one quarter. Now think of how much is spent on advertising, hair care, tanning, health clubs, etc. In no way do I think these are bad things in and of themselves but we must remember that the average thickness of our skin is 1.5mm (about the thickness of a penny) and that our Father looks at our hearts. There is so much more we need to be focusing on and what the LORD said to Samuel should give us great insight. Let us focus on the appearance of our hearts before almighty God and in that thought "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22)

In Christ,
Mike