God Looks Beyond the Surface

 

God Looks Beyond the Surface

Today's Scripture:

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7, NIV.

Today's Word:

Your Creator can see things in you that other people cannot see. Sometimes people will try to push you down or make you feel insignificant. Sometimes our own thoughts will try to convince us that we don’t measure up. But God looks beyond the surface, beyond the mistakes you’ve made, beyond what somebody said about you and sees your incredible value. You may think, “Joel, I’ve messed up. I have blown it. I have failed. I’m all washed up.” No, God still sees more in you. God doesn’t just see what you are; He sees what you can become. You may have made some mistakes, but God still sees victory on the inside of you. People may have tried to push you down, but God sees you rising higher.

Now, you’ve got to do your part and get rid of those condemning thoughts. Get rid of what somebody has spoken over you and start renewing your mind. Down deep, start believing that you are redeemed, restored, talented and valuable. Even if you have made mistakes, believe that there is more in store. God’s not finished with you. He looks beyond the surface and sees your potential. Stay in step with Him and watch His plan for your life unfold.

Prayer for Today:

Father, thank You for looking beyond the surface and seeing the real me. Thank You for placing Your potential on the inside of me. Help me to know You more and see You more clearly so I can follow Your ways all the days of my life in Jesus’ Name. Amen

 

The Problem with Stuff

14 hours ago

by Rick Warren

“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NLT)

 

Life keeps getting more and more complicated. And, on top of that, we keep adding more and more stuff to our lives. The problem with stuff is, the more you have, the more it takes to take care of it all — the more you have to clean it, the more you have to protect it, the more you have to insure it, and the more you have to repair it.
It isn’t too long before stuff dominates your life. My guess is you probably have more stuff than your parents did. In fact, today we have an entire industry that we didn’t even have 50 years ago. It’s called personal storage units. It’s like you don’t even have enough room in your house any more, so you have to put some of it in a storage unit and pay rent to hold all your stuff!
A lot of people think the whole purpose of life is just to collect stuff. You’ve seen the bumper sticker: “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” The truth is, “He who dies with the most toys ... still dies!”
But your life is not about things. God didn’t design you that way. You were never meant to keep collecting and collecting stuff. 
The other day on Twitter (@rickwarren), I sent this message: “When+Then” thinking is a lie: “When I get what I want, then I'll be happy.”
So how much more stuff do you need until you’re happy? In Matthew 16:26, Jesus says, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT)
Jesus modeled a very simple life. You don’t see him collecting things. He spent his time and energy on relationships — because he knew they were more important than all the stuff in the world.

Talk It Over

• If someone were to look at your life, what would he say is more important to you: things or relationships?
• What do you need to change about your attitude toward things so that you can be more like Jesus?