Daily devotional, March 25, 2024 Decoded
"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:17
One of the unique features that secure messaging apps boast of is encryption. When an email or short message is encrypted, a person who has no access to the decryption tool cannot read the private message encoded in the service. Basically, only the authorized can access information through their decryption tool.
As followers of Jesus, we have the confidence that although our hearts may not be understood by others, there is someone up there who knows what is in our hearts. Who can decrypt and read our minds and hearts, knows what we are going through, and knows that we are doing our best to follow Him.
As he gave his final charge to his son Solomon, King David encouraged him to pursue a real relationship with God, so that He too, can succeed in His own endeavors. Since he will be building a temple for the Lord, He should do it wholeheartedly as the Lord will know and judge his heart’s intentions and motivations.
"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever."
1 Chronicles 28:9
Sometimes, in our faith walk, others may not understand our actions. Sometimes others may judge our intentions. There are also times that we get called off because of other people’s perceived motivation for our actions. But what is important is that our God assures us that He sees everything and He knows what is in our hearts. With this, we can rest assured that as long as we are doing our best for the Lord and not hurting others, we can further our kingdom work.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart andtest the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings."
Jeremiah 17:9-10
This truth however comes with the premise that God knows what is best for us. That our hearts can actually sway us to do things that are ungodly since it is “of this world” unlike our Heavenly Father who knows and tests everything. Given this, following His will will not lead us astray and his judgements are never wrong. Once we have come to accept all these, such is the time we could align to His will.
"But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
1 Peter 3:4
And as we gain confidence that He knows what is in our hearts, we should equally make sure that we are not quick to judge other people’s intentions and motivations. While we may never know what is in their hearts, we should impress in ourselves that we too will never have the right to judge and condemn them and others.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 139 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: How does it feel to know and be assured that the Lord knows what is in your heart and in your mind?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for assuring me that you know everything that I feel and think. Allow me to fill my heart and my mind of things that are wonderful to you, that honors you. I want to have a clean heart for you my Jesus. Amen.
