Here is a post from the past. I hope it blesses you...
But the Lord said to
Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The
Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
While praying the other day, a thought came to my mind. It went something like this, “Success in
Christian service is measured not by the largeness of your ministry but by the
depth of your heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 says
that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at our hearts. If we have pure hearts, our ministry to
others will be untainted and effective.
But if our hearts are not in tune with God’s Spirit and God’s word our
ministry to others – no matter how “successful” – will not please our Master.
The Scripture says that David was a man after God’s
heart. He had a big heart for God. The Lord told Samuel to anoint the next king
of Israel among Jesse’s sons. The Lord
had Samuel pass by all seven of David’s brothers. The young lad was not even invited to the
event – he was watching over his family’s heard of sheep. Samuel asked for David and anointed him to be
king. Though David had many failures in
his life, his tender heart for God made him the greatest king Israel ever had.
Acts 13:36 says, “For David after he had
served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his
fathers….” David served his own
generation by the will of God. This
tells me that David’s life ultimately pleased God.
I also want to live a life that pleases God and I am sure
you do too. I know that the Lord desires
that we bear much fruit. It is, of
course, better that we reach many people rather than a few, but is the quality
of our ministry that matters most to the Father.
Let’s be diligent to guard our hearts while we believe the
Lord for a greater impact in ministry.
Let’s keep our relationship with Jesus sweet and intimate. When we keep this as the first thing in our
lives, God will see fit to trust us with greater influence in ministry. If the
root is good, the branches will flourish.
Dear Father God,
Help me to guard my
heart with all diligence. Teach me to worship,
pray, and feed on your word daily. Shine
your light on anything in my heart that is not right. Let me minister to others with a pure
heart. Thank you for using me in a
mighty way for your glory. In Jesus name
I pray, Amen.
