A HEART SINGULARLY FOCUSED (7 OF 32)
Scripture: Matthew 5:8
This content is part of a series.
A Heart Singularly Focused (7 of 32)
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Robert Dawson
Matthew 5:8
I will not dare share all the escapades of our youth group growing up but I will share this one story, one with which I was not involved but certainly enjoyed hearing about. The boys and girls used to love playing practical jokes on each other when they would go on retreat and trips. It was part of the tradition and fun of the trips that by the time I reached the group had been greatly curtailed because occasionally they would get a little out of hand like when they ran the pastor’s undergarments up a flag pole. One of the favorite jokes, perhaps because I like Oreos so much, was pulled by the girls on the guys. Teenagers, especially guys, will eat just about anything without great discernment or attention being paid to what is eaten. The girls took a box of Oreos and carefully scraped out the cream filling and replaced it Colgate toothpaste. The guys rushed into the room hungry and there laid out nicely was a beautiful plate of Oreos ready to be eaten.
What the boys would soon discover was that while something looked good on the outside it was really what was on the inside that mattered.
We are all prone to judge people and their spiritual maturity or condition by outward appearances and actions. We cannot even judge and evaluate ourselves spiritually based solely on our outward actions. While actions matter it is the unseen part of us that carries much more weight.
Even Samuel, a godly prophet, the king maker, made the same mistake when God sent him to the household of Jesse to anoint the next king over Israel. Jesse brought in his sons, who were all fine physical specimens, and he paraded them before Samuel. He took one look at Eliab and thought this is surely the one that the Lord has anointed. He looked like a leader. He looked like a king but God had other plans and He told Samuel…Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature…for God s ...
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Robert Dawson
Matthew 5:8
I will not dare share all the escapades of our youth group growing up but I will share this one story, one with which I was not involved but certainly enjoyed hearing about. The boys and girls used to love playing practical jokes on each other when they would go on retreat and trips. It was part of the tradition and fun of the trips that by the time I reached the group had been greatly curtailed because occasionally they would get a little out of hand like when they ran the pastor’s undergarments up a flag pole. One of the favorite jokes, perhaps because I like Oreos so much, was pulled by the girls on the guys. Teenagers, especially guys, will eat just about anything without great discernment or attention being paid to what is eaten. The girls took a box of Oreos and carefully scraped out the cream filling and replaced it Colgate toothpaste. The guys rushed into the room hungry and there laid out nicely was a beautiful plate of Oreos ready to be eaten.
What the boys would soon discover was that while something looked good on the outside it was really what was on the inside that mattered.
We are all prone to judge people and their spiritual maturity or condition by outward appearances and actions. We cannot even judge and evaluate ourselves spiritually based solely on our outward actions. While actions matter it is the unseen part of us that carries much more weight.
Even Samuel, a godly prophet, the king maker, made the same mistake when God sent him to the household of Jesse to anoint the next king over Israel. Jesse brought in his sons, who were all fine physical specimens, and he paraded them before Samuel. He took one look at Eliab and thought this is surely the one that the Lord has anointed. He looked like a leader. He looked like a king but God had other plans and He told Samuel…Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature…for God s ...
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