Wise Words
All Heart When it comes to God’s perspective, what’s on the inside counts most.
The Lord said unto Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his statue; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
-1 Samuel 16:7 The Message Bible A
fter Saul, the first king of Israel, royally messed up his kingdom, God instructed the prophet Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethle- hem, “for I have provided Me a king among his sons.” Jesse brought out his eldest
By Chaplain Sam Ed Spence, Race Track Chaplaincy of Texas
son, Eliab, who must have looked like an all-pro line- backer. Samuel said to himself, “I’ve got the new king right here before me—somebody hand me my anointing oil!” But God stopped Samuel short, and spoke the following words to him, as recounted in
1 Samuel 16:7. The Lord said unto Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his statue; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not has man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” In all, Jesse led seven great-looking sons before the
prophet, but God rejected them all. It was the youngest of Jesse’s offspring, little freckle-faced David, that was God’s pick. Jesse hadn’t even bothered to bring him in from tending the sheep. But God knew his heart; hence, David was His choice.
I got my first horse when I was 6-years old. Tony wasn’t much to look at; he was about 13-hands, a black-and- white pinto, probably part-Shetland. But I could do anything on him: rope, work stock, gather horses. I even hazed on Tony for Dad when he would practice bull dog- ging. Tony always gave me everything he had; he was all heart. Many have been fortunate to own one or two race- horses like that—the kind that give you 100 percent every time they break from the gate. The great Thoroughbred Seabiscuit was evidently one of those horses—not a lot to look at, but a champion with a mighty big heart. And these horses have a way of winning our hearts. Interestingly, God referred to David as a “man after His
own heart” in 1 Samuel 13:14. As one reads the Psalms of David, you begin to see why he was God’s pick to lead Israel. David sought God, he loved God and—perhaps just as important—he trusted God, even to the point that “he will do everything I want him to.” It was this kind of faith inside David that captured God’s own heart. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith, it is impossible to please Him. While God loves each of us unconditionally, the key to being a real Father-pleaser is to trust Him with our lives by believing in our hearts what his word says about us.
Sam Ed Spence is a special contributor for Paint Horse Racing. To comment on this article, email
feedback@apha.com.
6 JULY 2013
PAINT HORSE RACING
APHA FILE PHOTO
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