UGLY ON THE INSIDE
“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16: 7
King James Version
Several years ago, I saw a man who I thought was the most handsome man I had ever seen until he opened his mouth and started talking. When this man started talking, the words that came out of his mouth frightened me and I no longer thought that he was handsome. He cursed so much that I am sure that the heart of our precious Saviour broke and He wept as He listened to this man. This man was handsome on the outside but he was ugly on the inside, in his heart, which is the only thing that matters to Jesus.
A lady I knew when I lived in Oklahoma was very pretty on the outside but on the inside, her heart was filled with anger, resentment, bitterness and jealousy. She wore very expensive clothes and jewelry and all of the teenage girls looked up to her as a role model for the right things to wear. One day, this lady got angry at one of the teenage girls and said something hateful to her. I will never forget the look in the eyes of that teenage girl when that lady said that sharp and cutting remark to her. It was the same look a puppy has when it has been kicked.
Jesus is not impressed with our outward appearance. What touches the heart of Jesus is the condition of our hearts. We are to look nice but if spend more time on our outward appearance than we do on our inward appearance we have our priorities mixed up. If our hearts are full of anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, jealousy, sarcasm and criticism, it does not matter how we look on the outside.
We are ugly to Jesus and it hurts Him if our hearts are filled with these negative things. We need to be sure that our heart is filled with the things that please Jesus before we concentrate on how we look or on the clothes that we wear. Ladies, we can wear the most beautiful dresses and have on all of the makeup in the world but if our hearts are not right before God, we are ugly on the inside. Men, you can wear a tuxedo and shave and smell wonderful but if your hearts are not right before God, you are ugly on the inside.
When Jesus looks in your heart, what does He see? Does He see things that rejoice His heart or does He see things that make Him sad? Are you ugly to Him because of the hatred in your heart? I urge all of us to make certain that our hearts are pleasing to Jesus. Again, it does not matter how we look on the outside if we are ugly on the inside. What condition is your heart in today?
Joanne Lowe
May 23, 2008
