Other people are more successful than you, more popular than you are, more good looking than you are, make more money than you do, are more accomplished than you are, are smarter than you are, and stronger than you are.

(Before you throw something at me, hold on for a moment.)

David was a young shepherd boy. He wasn’t even in the army. When taking food to his brothers on the front lines he heard the taunt of an idol-worshiping, blood-thirsty giant named Goliath. 

Earlier, the prophet Samuel had come to David’s house to anoint the future leader of the nation. He passed over all of David’s older brothers. When David was called in he was called handsome but “ruddy.” Even still, he was the one—not only to lead the nation, but to take down Goliath.

God himself provided the rationale: “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

This is a message for you today: The Lord looks on the heart. In fact, the Lord looks on your heart. 

In a world infatuated with success, with popularity, with making a splash, with making money, with being attractive, with being “accomplished,” with being strong, with knowing more than other people, with being liked, and with being remembered, to know that the Lord looks on the heart is liberating. 

When the world around you dismisses you, the Lord sees what really matters. 

Be faithful. Be sincere. Be loving. Be truthful. Others may not notice, but God does.

People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Notes and extra content:

-“The Lord looks on the heart.” Sermon. April 13, 2025. Click here.
-The church I pastor has a new website. You can check it out here!
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.