January 14, 2023

Passage Read: 1 Samuel 13-16
Meditation Verse: 16:7

Thought

The Lord looks at the heart; men look on the outward appearance to determine who should lead, who to follow, who is worthy of honor. The Lord looks on the heart, for a man after His own heart. I need to judge men not by their outward appearance, but by their heart. I can't directly see what is in their heart, but I can evaluate what comes from the overflow of their heart: I can judge them by their words and deeds, what they value, what they invest their time in, how they use their free time. I can judge them by how well they know the Word of God, how interested they are in understanding it, but that requires being with them in Bible discussions or study, and seeing how what they say lines up with how they live.

Application

Now that I'm responsible for a church body, I need to determine who is worthy to lead, who needs help to grow as a leader and who is unwilling to grow. That's where the midweek Bible fellowships will be important, to see how they interact with the Scriptures. To see who even shows up! But I also need to see and interact with these people outside of church, to see how they live their lives, lead their families, treat their neighbors. I need to encourage where they're strong and identify where they need help and figure out how to get them the help they need.