“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the LORD looks at the heart.” — 1 SAMUEL 16:7

I had an aunt who was a missionary. She told me a story of a man she ministered to who was very interested in the Gospel. She asked him one day if he’d like to come to her church. He responded by saying, “I’d like to, but I can’t afford a jacket.” How tragic that his public perception of being a Christian was external and not internal.

Sometimes we learn patterns of what we might call ‘Christian behaviour’ that don’t have much basis in Scripture. Regardless, they become a part of the culture we create and we begin to derive our spiritual security from this kind of conformity.

Jesus spoke as much, if not more, about religious conformity as He did about conformity to the world. To the Pharisees and teachers of the law He said, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self indulgence. You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead man’s bones and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:25 & 27). Repeatedly, Jesus called the Pharisees and teachers of the law hypocrites.

The Pharisees were preoccupied with the externals, and ignored the internal, which is where God works. As the strict fundamentalists of that day, they were renowned for their discipline and zeal in adhering to the laws of Moses. They were careful about the clothes they wore, the food they ate, and who they associated with. All their confidence, in a profound effort to please God, was placed in themselves, so in the end, they only had themselves to congratulate for any success.

To some degree our culture is still the same. We can saturate ourselves with outward conformity all we want, but that won’t win favour with God. It doesn’t matter to Him what clothes we wear or how we look. We come as we are. And whether it’s Christian or worldly, we cannot allow anyone to squeeze us into a mold of their choosing. God looks strictly upon the heart, and if we are seeking Him, He is seeking us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I know it is the disposition of the heart You care about. Help me to adopt a Christ-like attitude with everyone I meet, and keep me from ever being biased or judging by outward appearances. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: How has drawing on the Spirit of Christ helped me deal with worldly expectations that have no merit with God?