Everything Under the Son (1 Samuel 16:1, 6-13)

1 Samuel 16 opens with the Lord instructing Samuel to go out and search for a king to replace Saul. Samuel arranged to meet the sons of a man named Jesse. The eldest son Eliab stepped up, and Samuel was impressed: ”Surely, this is the guy.” Strong, tall, overall good looking. But Eliab was not the guy. The Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by appearance or height, for I have rejected him. And then the key phrase: “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” How different would our lives be if we lived by this truth? David, who had been doing the meager work of a shepherd, was chosen. What separated him from his brothers? God looked at David and saw a man after God’s heart; a man who was willing to listen to God and do what God asked him to do. This is God’s way. The Spirit of God working through ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We each have talents and passions. And God calls each one of us to seasons of preparation where we’ll grow and learn. Those years aren’t wasted. They prepare us for what comes next. Whatever we’re doing in Jesus’ name matters. It doesn’t always feel like it, but even when we don’t see the difference it makes, what we do in Jesus' name lasts forever.