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IN COMPARISON TO GOD, HOW DO WE JUDGE PEOPLE?
By Greg Hooker
Why is it we judge people based solely on their looks? I’m not talking about all the artificial hardware, colored hair, and tattoos they have acquired, but on the physical appearance God gave them? For examples: the natural color of their hair, eyes, and tone of their skin? The way they talk, walk, and act. Some are skinny while others are on the chubby side of the fence.
All to often we mistakenly sum up a person within the first five minutes of meeting them. We formulate in our limited minds what kind of individual they are just by a quick, cursory glance at their appearance. Is this a wise indication of who that person really is? This is what God says about it:
1 Sam 16:7 …for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. KJV
That certainly is in stark contrast to our way of thinking isn’t it? God isn’t really concerned about the natural looks He gave us, but He is infinitely concerned about how we look on the inside.
Now exactly what is the Lord referring to when He says He cares about how we look on the inside. Is He referring to our skeletal, muscular, vascular, organ components that comprise our physical bodies?
The above Scripture focuses on the heart of man. Again, that begs the question, ‘Is God speaking of the organ that pumps blood through our arteries and returns it through our veins to our heart and keeps us alive?
Actually, when God looks on the “heart”, He is referring to the soul and spirit of man, the inner most being, the moral character that isn’t perishable and cannot be seen by the naked eye of another. Remember, the eyes of man sees the “outward” appearance, but the eyes of God sees that which is hidden from others. That which makes you who you really are. That part which will live on after death in eternal Hell, or Heaven.
Be that as it is, most people are more concerned about how they appear physically in the eyes of the world, rather than their inner self the Lord sees! Billions of dollars are spent annually to paint, mask, and cover ones ‘imperfections’ of the outward person, while the most important part of us is sadly neglected.
Incidentally, how do we improve our “inward” appearance, the part that God is interested in? As with the outward man, the inward man requires constant and daily grooming. Just what does that intel?
Here is a partial list:
1. Feed the inner man with the Word of God. Read, absorb, memorize, and meditate on it until it becomes an addiction. Until you cannot go one day without it.
2. “Pray without ceasing.” In other words, always be in harmony with God and clean in heart to go to the Lord in a moments notice for help.
3. In addition, take in wholesome literature that fosters a life of good manners and ethical behavior, such as biblically correct commentaries and helps.
4. Avoid anything contrary to sound biblical teachings - movies, books, TV programs, and any occultic teachings.
5. Refrain from individuals who practice evil, vindictiveness, and ungodliness. Any interaction with them should be to share Christ.
In conclusion, it’s perfectly okay to keep ones “outward” appearance in a way that would honor and glorify God, but the most important is to consistently see that the “inward” person is always taken care of. “For man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.”
By Greg Hooker
Why is it we judge people based solely on their looks? I’m not talking about all the artificial hardware, colored hair, and tattoos they have acquired, but on the physical appearance God gave them? For examples: the natural color of their hair, eyes, and tone of their skin? The way they talk, walk, and act. Some are skinny while others are on the chubby side of the fence.
All to often we mistakenly sum up a person within the first five minutes of meeting them. We formulate in our limited minds what kind of individual they are just by a quick, cursory glance at their appearance. Is this a wise indication of who that person really is? This is what God says about it:
1 Sam 16:7 …for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. KJV
That certainly is in stark contrast to our way of thinking isn’t it? God isn’t really concerned about the natural looks He gave us, but He is infinitely concerned about how we look on the inside.
Now exactly what is the Lord referring to when He says He cares about how we look on the inside. Is He referring to our skeletal, muscular, vascular, organ components that comprise our physical bodies?
The above Scripture focuses on the heart of man. Again, that begs the question, ‘Is God speaking of the organ that pumps blood through our arteries and returns it through our veins to our heart and keeps us alive?
Actually, when God looks on the “heart”, He is referring to the soul and spirit of man, the inner most being, the moral character that isn’t perishable and cannot be seen by the naked eye of another. Remember, the eyes of man sees the “outward” appearance, but the eyes of God sees that which is hidden from others. That which makes you who you really are. That part which will live on after death in eternal Hell, or Heaven.
Be that as it is, most people are more concerned about how they appear physically in the eyes of the world, rather than their inner self the Lord sees! Billions of dollars are spent annually to paint, mask, and cover ones ‘imperfections’ of the outward person, while the most important part of us is sadly neglected.
Incidentally, how do we improve our “inward” appearance, the part that God is interested in? As with the outward man, the inward man requires constant and daily grooming. Just what does that intel?
Here is a partial list:
1. Feed the inner man with the Word of God. Read, absorb, memorize, and meditate on it until it becomes an addiction. Until you cannot go one day without it.
2. “Pray without ceasing.” In other words, always be in harmony with God and clean in heart to go to the Lord in a moments notice for help.
3. In addition, take in wholesome literature that fosters a life of good manners and ethical behavior, such as biblically correct commentaries and helps.
4. Avoid anything contrary to sound biblical teachings - movies, books, TV programs, and any occultic teachings.
5. Refrain from individuals who practice evil, vindictiveness, and ungodliness. Any interaction with them should be to share Christ.
In conclusion, it’s perfectly okay to keep ones “outward” appearance in a way that would honor and glorify God, but the most important is to consistently see that the “inward” person is always taken care of. “For man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.”