God Looks On The Heart

No nation can boast and say that the Lord led them the same way. Other nations were led by kings.

However, when Samuel grew old, and Israel looked around and saw other nations had kings, they decided they WISH they also had kings like other nations.

Looking around and wishing for something that someone else has can get us into lots of trouble.

Illus: A man saw other men with their good looking wives, and decided he wanted a wife. One day, he walked into the restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him, and as he sat there, the waitress came over and asked for their order.

• The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich. "What's yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

• A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $6.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out exact change for payment.

• The next day, the man and the ostrich return and the man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and the ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with the exact change.

• This becomes a routine until late one evening, the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress.

• "No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and salad," says the man. "Same for me," says the ostrich.

• A short time later the waitress comes with the order and says, "That will be $12.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

• The waitress can't hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?"

• "Well," says the man, "a while back I was cleaning the attic and I found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I could just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

• "That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"

• "That's right! Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

• The waitress asks, "One other thing, sir, what's with the ostrich?"

• The man sighs and answers, “On my second wish I messed up big time. I asked for a tall chick with long legs who agrees with everything I say.”

Wishing for certain things can get us into trouble in a number of ways.

Israel looked around at their neighbors and wanted what they had and it certainly got them into trouble.

They wanted to be like other nations and probably chose Saul for his size and looks.

The Bible tells us Saul was HEAD AND SHOULDER ABOVE OTHER MEN. BUT HE WAS A TERRIBLE KING!

1 Samuel 16:7 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 man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

So, when they were ready to choose another king, God told Samuel, "...Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

In other words, God was saying, "Do not make the same dumb mistake again."

We all have made our share of dumb mistakes.

Illus: A blonde walked into a doctor's office with two burned ears.

• The doctor asked her, "What happened to your ears?"

• The blonde replied, "I was ironing and the phone rang, so instead of picking up the phone, I picked up the iron and put it to my ear.”

• Still not satisfied, the doctor asked, "Well, what happened to the other ear?"

• "The rascal called back again!"

Have you noticed that some folks go through life making the same dumb mistakes over and over again.

Illus: I read an article the other day about 10 mistakes that many of us make each day. They are:

1. Spend too much time thinking and not enough doing.

2. Wait to be promoted before doing the next level job.

3. Overcomplicate things.

4. Underrate the amount of effort.

5. Fail to communicate clearly.