CONTENTS

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” – 1Samuel 16:7

Merchants and marketers know the power of packaging. With attractive packaging, almost anything can be sold; and many shoppers easily fall for packaging. Ironically, God cares less about packaging than He does about contents! The key lesson that Samuel learnt in the house of Jesse was that: God sees CONTENTS; while men focus on Packaging. The greatly anointed prophet would have made a terribly wrong and erroneous choice, but for prompt divine intervention. He was about to select Israel’s king based on outward displays of appealing appearance and physical stature. If not for divine caution, the prophet was almost swept off his feet by his “first impressions” of Eliab and Abinadab, and Shammah, David’s brothers (1 Sam.16:6-10). Focusing more on the physical human package than on the contents of the heart can be highly misleading.

The wisdom of Scripture consistently reveals that the contents in your heart are more important than the outer envelope. No matter what you look like on the outside, your inner man is more precious and more real than any outward manifestation. Ask Nick Vujicic – born with no arms and no legs, yet through strength and hope found in Jesus Christ, Nick has overcome life’s challenges much more than many fully-formed “packages.” The man without limbs is actually living a life without limits. Every careful shopper knows that when it comes to purchasing healthy and nutritious foods, there is much junk stuff in attractive and colourful packaging. A meticulous check of the list of ingredients on the back of the box will reveal the truth. Such a shopping habit is similar to God’s dealings in our lives. It’s what’s within that counts and matters most, regardless of how appealing the outside might be.

The Wise Man rightly counsels: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Pro.4:23). Putting on the right fashions and keeping yourself looking young and cute are of little value if the heart harbours animosity, bitterness, greed, hatred, grumpiness, self-pity, strife, and other negative contents. People try all kinds of methods such as exercise routines, make-up, weight-loss programmes, and plastic surgery, to cover-up physical imperfections. Instead of trying to overcome deep-seated character flaws, they tend to use them as an excuse for behaving badly. We’ll be so much better off if we put more energy into character development than into fashion enhancements. Changing your looks is easier than changing your character. God values your heart more than the externals, and He wants you to do likewise.

For the believer in Christ, there is a beauty within that reveals God’s love. Paul wrote, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (Rom.7:22). A few verses later, he declared: “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom.8:6). Letting the Holy Spirit take charge of your inner being will build in you the “fruit of the Spirit” – a ‘rainbow’ of virtues such as love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness (Gal.5:22). Through the work of God’s Spirit dwelling within, you will be transformed into a grand display of the fruit that attracts others to Christ in you and reflect Glory back to Him. He’ll grant you the wisdom to cultivate internal ingredients that will make your heart a wellspring of life to those whom you come in contact with daily.

Beloved, ask yourself: When others get past the packaging of my life, do they experience a heart full of holy, healthy, Christ-like ingredients? Does my life reflect the wonderful nature of Christ? Delighting in Scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart will beautify you on the inside and produce a life that honors God. Never forget this: the contents in your heart are more important than the outer packaging. Righteousness in your heart reflects beauty in and through your life!