Within the famed speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. resides a single statement that has long been forgotten. He said that we should be judged on the content of the heart not on the outward appearance. Dr. King was speaking of character versus skin color.
However, it seems we have drifted far from this truth.
Solomon commanded us to, Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. The Bible often speaks of the matter of the heart; integrity and purity. The prophet Samuel toiled as he considered who would be anointed the next King of Israel. Samuel would have chosen Eliab because he looked the part. David did not fit the profile. In fact, David wore the attire of a shepherd and was the youngest of eight brothers.
Samuel saw Eliab, the eldest, and deemed him fit for the throne by birth order and stature. 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. The heart is where we understand a person. No one is inherently good or evil by genetic code.
As millions pause to celebrate Dr. King’s life, I am concerned that they have rejected his message. Let it not be so with us. Our actions, words, and deeds matter. Jesus said that by our own words we are either condemned or justified. The Church must set the example for a superficial world. We represent a higher law and a deeper truth which is the basis of the New Birth experience found in John chapter 3. Paul said that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, it is only by the Cross that we find our value. Birth order, stature, and countenance do not constitute salvation. We are chosen and set apart by the Blood of the Lamb. This is our message. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed our lives. We were not a people, but now we are the children of God. So if we are to be judged, let it be by the Cross of Calvary and our pursuit of Him Who died for our sins and gave us New Life!
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole