Don't judge a book by looking at the cover

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"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'do not look at his appearance, his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.' "   1 Samuel 16:7. NKJV

Many publishers and authors consider that the most important part of a book is the front page. This may be because I and many other people look firstly at the cover and then make a judgement on how good the book is. Often, I have been right but occasionally I have been misled and the storyline has been boring. Some of us read the blurb on the back cover or the preface on the inside. We can then get an idea about what the book contains but not always. 

We have similar feelings about people. We meet someone, maybe at work or in church or perhaps they move into the neighbourhood and straightaway we form an opinion about them. Like them - don't like them. We may say, 'I don't like the look of him; he looks trouble if you ask me.' Or, 'I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her.' On the other hand, we may have favourable opinions of them, after all we are Christians. 'But time will tell.'
Someone may know more about them and the gossip begins as we hear the 'evidence' about them. The results of these findings are very rarely conclusive and can result in a bad image being painted about someone who is probably a very nice and caring person and may have been through the roughest of times. Gossip is always bad and very rarely true. It's pretty much the same as selecting a book. We don't really know, we just have to trust that it'll be ok and sometimes we get it wrong.  

Thank goodness, God is not like this with us! Imagine if He was. I for one would be wiped off the slate straightaway, I can tell you. Don't laugh, you'd be pretty close behind me. We form opinions by outward appearances. God takes a look at the heart. Someone, somewhere, may have formed a wrong opinion of you and really slated your credibility. However, thank God, He didn't. He looked at what was in your heart; the hurts you may have have suffered and that longing to make changes for the better. And He thought, 'that's my child there. I love My child so much and I'm going to make something of their life.'

Thank God, He did!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com