“…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7(NKJV)
Man has so many things that he is concerned about. He tries to give a good appearance concerning many things in life. He wants a nice car and a good house. Clothes are important to promote his image. Most people want the way they look to promote their idea of success. Brand name clothing, fashion shoes, and classy accessories all “make the man.”
Many people desire wealth and possessions that enhance the image they want to project. They rejoice in their accomplishments and status in life. They want to feel important and envied by their friends and neighbors. While all this may be important, they may miss a very important thing. The above verse says that while man may be impressed by these kinds of things, the thing that impresses God is the condition of a man’s heart.
Only when our relationship with God is considered very important do we focus on the condition of the heart. Otherwise, we may not work hard on our heart’s health. We hear a lot in medical fields about a “heart healthy diet.” This is about what we eat or don’t eat that promotes a healthy muscle that pumps the blood through our bodies. But, how well do we nourish our “spirit heart”? What do we hear? What do we read? What do we watch? Do we feed our spirit junk food or good nourishing food? It may not make much difference to us but how does God feel about it?
While it is important to be healthy, it is more important to keep our “spirit man” in good condition because that’s what matters most to God. A good heart can make up for anything that is lacking elsewhere. But, nothing else can make up for a diseased heart when it comes to standing before God.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33