But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
The grace and favour of God are crucial virtues that qualifies men as we have considered. Albeit, God looks beyond the peripherals(appearance) in His search for men. That the leadership of a congregation approves a man and ordains him does not necessarily mean that God also approves the man. A proof of this is not far-fetched, for even Samuel did the same with Eliab, but God proved him wrong.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab and said to himself, ‘This man standing here in the Lord’s presence is surely the one he has chosen.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.’
1 Samuel 16:6-7 GNT
God is looking inward – He is looking for the inner man in every man. Samuel said ‘surely, this is the man’. The Lord said: ‘no, this man is rejected, he is not qualified for the anointing. I searched within him thoroughly but there’s nothing inside of him that made him acceptable. He is only tall on the outside, but he is not a man of standing on the inside. Though he is handsome on surface, his heart is very ugly, he’s very dirty and stinking on the inside.’
What do you possess that makes people constantly summon you? What gifts do you have? Are you a great singer? Such that leading worship has become your default responsibility. Singing time is not the same whenever you’re not around. Do you possess an eloquence, which has made you the default Sunday school or bible study teacher? It would be a costly assumption on your part if all you’ve got is your Pastor’s approval. If Heaven has rejected you, how terrible it would be.
Jesus said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. What people think is important is worth nothing to God.
Luke 16:15 ERV
You may look good and smell nice all you can; you can deceive others, but you cannot deceive God. Because He knows your heart. He knows the entirety of your being. What people think and say about you is worth nothing to God; it is your heart that proofs you. God is not so concerned about the outward appearance of a man as He is about the state and capacity that is within. The critical virtues that God is looking for in the life of a man on whom He can lavish His Favour is beyond his outward appearance, skills, and even his spiritual gifts.
The eyes of the LORD go around looking in all the earth for people who are faithful to him so that he can make them strong…
2 Chronicles 16:9 ERV
God is searching throughout the earth, looking into the heart of men. He is looking for those He can make so that they can perfectly fit His purpose. It does not matter whether such a man is rejected by men or not, but if he is the one approved by God, even if he were to be in the wilderness, he would be perfectly prepared and brought forth unto his ‘throne’ for manifestation. Will God find you worthy when He checks into your heart? Will He approve of you from kingdom assignment? Allow Him to search you. Allow Him to point out if you merit His approval.
