OUTWARD MAN AND INWARD MAN - Jeremiah Ch 40-42

 

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7 NASB1995

GOOD MORNING. How often have you judged matters by outward appearance or how often have you been judged by outward appearance? How often has somebody told lies to paint an outward appearance that is completely different from what is in his heart and people have believed him? I remember the case of a man who was jailed for ten years for an offence he did not commit just because the offender was able to lie and paint an outward picture that the judges went by.

READ ALSO: RECOGNISING THE FLESH OR NATURAL MAN

They found out the truth ten years later and released him. Incidents like this point to human weakness in judging issues but that we should rely on God’s Spirit. The important thing here I want us to note is that there is the outward life or lifestyle and there is an inner world in each of us. Jesus quoted Isaiah’s words clearly when he said.”

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” -Matthew 15:8 NIV. 

With our outward life we can say something that is far different from what we have in our hearts. So you should never be neither disappointed nor offended but take it as human nature when you are deceived. In your dealings with people, always leave an allowance for some deception in that case, you will not be hurt if the true person inside comes out to be different from what was displayed. Remember each figure you see standing is just the casing of the real person inside. 

PRAY: Open my eyes Lord to perceive the hearts of people that I deal with.