Greater than Anything

When God created the first humans, Adam and Eve, they didn’t criticize each other. They were content to love each other without making judgments. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin entered the world, appearances began to matter. They were ashamed of their bodies.

We see this fixation on appearance throughout human history. The account in 1 Samuel 16 is a great example. When God told the prophet Samuel that He had chosen a new king of Israel, Samuel probably had assumptions about what the new king would look like. The current king, Saul, was tall and handsome—and Samuel probably guessed the new king would be too.

But when Samuel arrived at the house of Jesse of Bethlehem, God crushed those expectations. Seven of Jesse’s older sons passed before Samuel, but God didn’t choose them. God chose David, the youngest son. A shepherd boy was destined to be the future king of Israel.

Generations later, when Jesus came (fully God and fully human) to live among us, He didn’t look very impressive either. Born in Bethlehem out of wedlock into a lowly family, Jesus “had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him†(Isaiah 53:2). Yet Jesus is the King of Kings who created His people (John 1:3) and loves them so dearly that He died and rose again so that they could be forgiven and live with Him forever.

While we wait for Jesus’ return, we continue to deal with issues of appearance. So often we make assumptions about people based on appearances or what they seem capable of or how we feel about them. In truth, only God knows people’s hearts, and only the redeeming love of Jesus can break the cycle of judgment.

All people have stories. All people have hurt that comes from living in a broken world. All people’s hearts long for redemption. As Christians, we can repent from judging others and instead rely on the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to look at the heart, like God does, so we can share His limitless love with those around us. • Becca Wierwille

• When we’re tempted to judge others, how can remembering Jesus’ compassion toward us help us extend compassion to others?

• Have you ever experienced the judgments of others based on your appearance? How might knowing how God sees you give you comfort in that sort of situation?

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.†1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

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