It’s BBQ season! Though there are some brave hearts out there that BBQ all year, most increase their attempts at this cooking method throughout the summer. As I was staring at some meat that was cooking, it occurred to me how difficult it is to gauge how well done the inside could possibly be. Part of the fun in cooking that thick steak on the grill is to try to have the inside cooked just right! It’s the heat of the moment that makes the inside turn out so good. In some ways, people are like that as well.
1 Samuel 16:7 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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Even though David wholeheartedly followed God, there were times when life seemed overwhelming for him. Consider what he wrote in Psalm 69:1-4 “Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.”
On the outside, everything looked rough, but inside, David had learned to keep his heart pure.
His son, Solomon wrote Proverbs 4:23-26 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.”
These verses remind me of a childhood song:
“Be careful little ears what you hear (perverse talk),
be careful little tongue what you say (corrupt speech)
be careful little eyes what you see (fix your eyes on what lies before you)
be careful little feet where you go (mark out a straight path for your feet)
for the Father up above is looking down with love so be careful (stay on the safe path)”
Let us remember what matters most, not the momentary circumstances we may find ourselves in but the heart our loving God gave each of us and how we respond to circumstances. Remember God’s love no matter how difficult a day may be. Today may bring exactly what is needed to help make a tender heart within.
Pastor Tom
1 Samuel 16:7 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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Even though David wholeheartedly followed God, there were times when life seemed overwhelming for him. Consider what he wrote in Psalm 69:1-4 “Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.”
On the outside, everything looked rough, but inside, David had learned to keep his heart pure.
His son, Solomon wrote Proverbs 4:23-26 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.”
These verses remind me of a childhood song:
“Be careful little ears what you hear (perverse talk),
be careful little tongue what you say (corrupt speech)
be careful little eyes what you see (fix your eyes on what lies before you)
be careful little feet where you go (mark out a straight path for your feet)
for the Father up above is looking down with love so be careful (stay on the safe path)”
Let us remember what matters most, not the momentary circumstances we may find ourselves in but the heart our loving God gave each of us and how we respond to circumstances. Remember God’s love no matter how difficult a day may be. Today may bring exactly what is needed to help make a tender heart within.
Pastor Tom
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