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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 1, 2008 A Clean Heart |
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Frontline Devotion for Saturday, March 1, 2008 by Don Kress
Text for the Day: I Samuel 16:1-13 – Then the Lord said to Samuel, “…Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”…Then he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”…So he sent and brought [David] in…And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. (New King James Version)
“The world says, ‘Blessed are those with clear skin and flawless outside appearances, for they will be admired.’ Jesus says: ‘Blessed are those with a clean heart, whose integrity and honesty are part of their being.’” Those words regarding the sixth Beatitude (Matthew 5:8) were spoken recently by Monsignor Francis Kazista as part of his homily at a memorial service at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Silver Spring, MD.
It seems that mankind has always favored those with pleasing outward appearances. That was obviously true in Samuel’s day (1067-1015 B.C.) and it’s certainly true in our day. It’s equally true that throughout that same time period, God – Himself and through His Son – keeps telling us that outward appearance isn’t important in judging a person; He looks at the person’s heart, and calls us to do likewise. (In a scriptural context, “the heart” doesn’t refer to an anatomical structure, but to what goes on in the core of our being. And in that context, the heart is more than just the seat of our emotions; it is the fount from which everything about our being flows.) It’s a consistent message, in spite of a world that wants us to get prettier and prettier on the outside while making us uglier and uglier on the inside. The consistency of the message was affirmed in the anthem that our choir sang last Sunday, a spiritual entitled “Order My Steps.” One of my favorite lines in the piece was, “Order my steps, Lord…The world is ever changing, but you are still the same…Order my steps in your word.”
What’s at the core of your being? When the Lord looks into your heart, what does he see? As we continue on our Lenten journey, may each of us take time to examine our heart. And may we, like King David, pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 52:10)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you have the power to make me clean to the core of my being. Yet I understand that I must walk my own personal path to your inner cleansing. Help me to see as you see; help me to look at the heart. May I, like your servant David, understand the importance of a clean heart. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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