"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
How do you judge?
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.’ 1 Samuel 16:7We live in a world which judges by appearances. The “beautiful people” are on the covers of magazines. Many of you are celebrities in your own circle. In the world of sport there is the added judgement based on achievement. If you play in the Premier (top) League, if you are an Olympian, if you have represented your country, if you can run 100 metres in under 10 seconds etc you have a certain status. “People look at the outward appearance [or performances], but the LORD looks at the heart”.
We have done a recent series on the heart “Know my heart”, “The eyes of your heart” and “What is in your heart?”
I suppose the first question is this: When the LORD looks at our heart what does he see?
The Psalmist prayed: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts”. Psalm 139:23. The idea of God searching my heart is at the same time a comforting and frightening thought.
Paul prays for the Ephesians that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.Ephesians 1:18 Jesus said: A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45
Today let us examine our heart and see ourselves as God sees us. And let’s not fall into the trap that Samuel did of judging other people by appearances.