If there’s one piece of Biblical wisdom proven over and over through the years, it’s this—the inner life eclipses the outer.

Standing before a strapping young man, Samuel assumed he faced the next king of Israel. Instead, the Lord told him: People look at the outside appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Then along came David, who turned out to be a man after God’s own heart.

Fight the tyranny of first impressions. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in staying in shape, dressing nice and bathing regularly. But issues of character cannot be discerned by glances, or social media postings, or hearing the right phrases.

Only time, and the Lord, reveals the quality of our hearts.

I Samuel 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Hunters Race