You Can't Judge a Book By it's Cover

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I remember the line that many preachers used to explain that verse's application ... they would say that "we should work on your heart for God and our outward appearance for man." Which is something I used to say all the time as well until I realized just how ridiculous and untrue it is!

The TRUTH about that verse is this; we should work on our heart! It's our hearts that matter most, that is why it's what God looks at! Too many times we reverse it and we work on the outward to APPEAR more spiritual or righteous or holy then we really are ... but when we get our hearts right before God, then everything else will line up!

That is why true LIFE TRANSFORMATION isn't about cleaning the outside of the cup (like the pharisees did to empress people) it's about cleaning the inside! I am learning more and more lately that you CAN NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER!

Here is the problem with "working on the outward for man" ... every "man" has a different opinion of what we should look like! Very unlike God. If you live your life only trying to please man, you will be an utter and complete mess!

God doesn't want us all to look alike on the outside, he wants our hearts to be pure!

The question isn't "what does a Christian LOOK like?" The real question is "what does a Christian ACT like?" and maybe even a better statement is "A Christian should BE LIKE Jesus!" ... it's not a matter of LOOKING like Jesus, it's a matter of BEING LIKE JESUS!