11-29-24-DAILY READING-ENG.

EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT

                                      WHERE GOD LOOKS

Be assured that when God determines whether to use you in His work, He isn't on the lookout for someone talented, good-looking, well spoken of, or highly educated. He's searching above all for one whose heart is pure. When He finds that pure heart, He'll fill it with His Spirit and move through that person's life with power. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9, ESV).

This promise is given to every believer, for we all have the capacity to choose the master to whom we give our hearts. We've been “set free from sin” through Jesus Christ and are now “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). Remember again Paul's words to the Corinthians about who and what God chooses to work through: “the foolish things of the world…the weak things of the world…the base things of the world and the things which are despised” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). Paul could point to his own life in this regard, knowing he was “the least of the apostles”—unworthy even to be an apostle because of his past persecution of Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9).

Yet God was gracious to use Paul mightily. When God has a task that needs a laborer, He doesn't go looking for one who has the right gifts. He looks for one who has an obedient heart, so He can accomplish the task through that person and receive all the glory. The late evangelist Roy Hession in his book Be Filled Now! made this startling statement: Someone has said, “The Spirits fullness is not the reward of our faithfulness, but God's gift for our defeat.” He was not given to the disciples in Acts 28 as the culmination and reward of their wonderful service, but in Acts 2 when they had proved themselves cowards, meeting behind barred doors.

It's true that our greatest point of weakness can at the same time become the opportunity for God to do His greatest work. Remember the Lord's words to the prophet Samuel after sending him to find and anoint Israel's king? “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). Have you been looking at your “outward appearance” and your physical abilities as a gauge for your service to God? That isn't what the Lord is looking at. The Lord looks at your heart. What's the condition of your heart? Do you spend more time and effort honing your skills than you do seeking the Lord and deepening your relationship with Him?