Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Outward Appearance

Today I'm actually gonna go back a few days to a verse I feel God has been speaking to me through these last ten days that I've been gone. 1Sam 16:7

7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

I heard this verse about three times before I read it in my memory verse while I was at Mahaffey Camp. I feel like God has been saying to me through this, that I mustn't judge my own outward appearance, not in the same way as Samuel was doing here, but I should look at my flaws and say to myself, "the Lord cannot use me for I am nothing." God knows my heart, he created me for something special and I cannot way to begin my work. In fact I feel like this week at camp I learned that I am more then suited for that which God has planned. God has called for me to be a Youth Pastor, to work with middle school and high school aged children. My heart explodes when I spend time with this age group, I have recently lived through it so I understand, but also I am someone who is really open and quite giddy most of the time. I'm not one to get uncomfortable much, and I'm not afraid to act like a fool a little bit if it gets the kids to laugh. Do I sometimes take it too far? Yeah, probably, but God is still molding me. The other way I need to look at this verse though, is that I shouldn't judge people by their appearance, and I often do, because God knows their heart and I often don't.

The whole story that this is entwined in is an amazing story of a Shepard becoming a mighty warrior, read the story of David in the book of 1 Samuel and find the strength of God in you to fight your own Goliathes.