WEEK 6

P r ay e r

“More Than Skin Deep” Father, I pray that You would give me Your discernment to help see people’s hearts rather
than judge them by appearance, and that I can be found acceptable by the same measure, in
by Ron Mathieu Christ’s name, Amen.

Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 16:7

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, T u e s d ay
because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”

Have you ever seen an unimpressive-looking person in a prominent position and find yourself
asking, “Where’d HE come from?”

If you didn’t know, would you assume dystrophy-stricken Stephen Hawking was one of the
most brilliant theoretical physicists of his day? I wonder if most people who encountered
Mother Theresa, Gandhi, or even Jesus in their everyday walk would just pass them by as
W e d n e s d ay
inconsequential by comparison to Brad Pitt, Michael Jordan, or Bill Gates.

The reality is that fancy packaging is a natural phenomenon and human pitfall for the very
reason that it is so effective. Billions of dollars are spent to entice our eyes and many decisions
are based on external factors. This is true for supermarket items, dating criteria, job hiring,
buying a home, and even the church you might attend.

This is a reason God often uses clay pots as holy vessels. He would rather use the unlikely
candidate, the rejected, and those who have messed up as the instruments of His purpose.
T h u r s d ay
Why? So that there will be no doubt that it is God who is at work.

The Bible is full of examples: the widow who set the example for stewardship; the Samaritan
who showed true mercy; the persecutor Paul who became the foremost apologist of the
Christian faith; the simple fisherman Peter who denied His friend three times but was also the
rock on which the church was founded.

This is not to say that good-looking, talented, and successful people cannot find God’s favor.
Of course, they can. Despite his lowly station, David turned out to be tall and handsome,
a courageous warrior, a talented poet and musician, and an extraordinary king. And God’s
F r i d ay
anointing, we discover, did not make him immune to serious sin, including adultery and
murder.

The point is that we are often fooled into judging by what’s on the outside rather than the
inside, and we need to make sure we make decisions based on faith, integrity and character,
not attractive appearance.

Finally, if you’d like for God to call on you for His special purpose, consider that He usually
picks people who know Him, who are in relationship with Him, who despite their flaws try to
follow His way, and who are reliable and ready when needed.

Under Armor For All Believers