Search My Heart, God 鉴察我心
Dexu Xia
People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
To reduce food waste, a supermarket chain in Singapore sells slightly blemished fruits and vegetables at lower prices. In one year, this initiative saved more than 850 tons (778,000 kg) of produce that previously would’ve been thrown out for not meeting aesthetic standards. Shoppers soon learned that outward appearances—scars and quirky shapes—don’t affect flavor and nutritional value. What’s on the outside doesn’t always determine what’s on the inside.
The prophet Samuel learned a similar lesson when he was sent by God to anoint the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1). When he saw Eliab, the firstborn son of Jesse, Samuel thought he was the chosen one. But God said: “Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . . People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7). Out of Jesse’s eight sons, God chose the youngest, David—who was tending his father’s sheep (v. 11)—to be the next king.
God is more concerned with our hearts than with outward credentials—the school we attended, what we earn, or how much we volunteer. Jesus taught His disciples to focus on purifying their hearts of selfish and evil thoughts because “what comes out of a person is what defiles them” (Mark 7:20). Just as Samuel learned not to consider outward appearances, may we, with God’s help, examine our hearts—our thoughts and intentions—in all that we do.
By: Jasmine Goh
When have you done a “good thing” with the wrong motive? How can you ensure that what’s in your heart is pure?
Dear God, please help me to do what honors You
人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心。—撒母耳记上16章7节
新加坡的一间连锁超市为了减少食物浪费，以较低廉的价格出售略有瑕疵的蔬果。这项活动在一年内就节省了超过850吨（约78万公斤）的农产品，先前这些蔬果都会因为外观不够完美而被丢弃。消费者很快就了解到，蔬果表面的伤痕或长得奇形怪状，并不影响其风味和营养价值。毕竟，外貌不一定决定内在。
先知撒母耳也对此深有体会。当他奉上帝之命选立下一任以色列君王时（撒母耳记上16章1节），看见了耶西的长子以利押，便认为他就是蒙拣选的人，但上帝说：“不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，⋯⋯人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心”（7节）。从耶西的八个儿子中，上帝拣选当时正在为父亲牧羊的小儿子大卫（11节），成为下一任的国王。
上帝看重我们的内心，更胜于我们风光的外表，例如上过哪所学校，有多少收入，或是参与多少志愿服务。耶稣教导门徒，要着重于洁净心中的私欲和邪念，因为“从人里面出来的，那才能污秽人”（马可福音7章20节）。正如撒母耳学到不要以外表判断人，愿我们也能靠着上帝的帮助，在一切所行的事上，鉴察自己的内心，检视自己的想法和意图。作者： 婕宁
你何时在行善时抱着错误的动机？你如何确保心思意念是纯洁的？亲爱的上帝，求祢帮助我，让我行事为人都能荣耀祢的名。