There they were, all seven of them. Spit-shined and polished, chests thrown out, guts sucked in, each one thinking they were going to get the job. The best of the best, they jockeyed for position, each one most likely feeling sorry for the poor saps standing next to them who weren’t going to be chosen.
Imagine their surprise when the Prophet turned away and asked their father, “Don’t you have anyone else?” Even the Prophet Samuel was a bit surprised at God’s choice for the future King of Israel. David was the youngest son, a shepherd, no match in size or strength to his brothers, but he was God’s choice, nonetheless.
Samuel learned that outward appearances don’t really matter. (1 Sam. 16:7) Sure, David’s brothers looked like the better choice, but God knew their hearts. He chose David because He knew that even though the boy would fall and fail, his heart belonged to God, so much so that the Bible says David was a ‘man after God’s own heart’. (1 Sam. 13:14)
Christian, the most important responsibility we have is to keep our heart right with God. It’s not your parent’s job, it’s not the church’s job, it’s not even God’s job…it’s yours, and yours alone.
We can have money and fame, we can be popular and physically fit, but in the end, it won’t matter. The only thing that matters is our heart. That’s the real test of Christianity. It’s not enough to look good. No matter how ‘put together’ we look if our heart isn’t pure before the Lord He can’t use us to accomplish His will.
If your heart is spiritually unfit, then the only answer is 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Are you taking care of your heart? Is your heart pure before God? Are you a man, or woman, after God’s own heart?
You see, the problem with letting your heart get away from you is simply this…God can’t use anyone who doesn’t share the same values, the same standards, that He has. If He can’t trust your heart because it’s not pure, then how can He trust you at all?
I read a quote somewhere that sums it up in one sentence …”It’s the internal, not the external, that affects the eternal.” –author unknown.