A Thought for Thursday: It's not inside it's on top?

At small group last night, I was reminded again that God's thoughts are not the same as mine. We were reading about God choosing David as king. David's family and even the man who was going to anoint him would have picked someone else. Maybe even David himself would have chosen someone else.

But God said:

"The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

You can read the story here.

I was challenged again by how I evaluate people. Today's thought passes this challenge on to you. How do you judge people? How do you decide who people are?

Ask God to show you which people you have seen from the outside. Ask Him to show you their heart - the way that He sees them.

Meditation Monday - He sees you

We're having a look at Hagar today. This lady was very shabbily treated. Things went from bad to worse. I'm sure that you've been there.

Read the first part of her story here. We'll continue with it very soon. In this part of the story, God speaks with Hagar and she realises that He sees her.

Consider this today. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what kind of circumstances you find yourself in, like Hagar, God sees you. He loves you.

In Psalm 139, the psalmist cries out to God:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.

When I read Jesus' tale about the lost son, I see this same kind of story again - His loving presence. Watching and waiting. And I hear Him saying gently "Whatever you've done, whatever you've become, come back. I love you."