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“Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
A few days ago we had some trees taken down around our home, not because we did not like trees, but because they were growing out so much that you could hardly see the house during the summer, when the trees are leafed out. One of the trees, a large maple, was strong and healthy (or so we thought). But when the tree cutters took it down, they found that the core of the upper half of the trunk was rotten. In a strong wind it could easily have come down on the house. We were thankful that it was taken down before that happened.
According to our verse today, we are sometimes like that tree. We can put on a good appearance before others, but spiritually we may not be healthy at all. Naturally, we are all sinners before God, and God’s eye can see our hearts. We may pretend before other people, but God sees our wicked hearts. The only way our hearts can be cleansed is through the blood of Christ.
Even as Christians we can pretend to be living for the Lord, while perhaps we are allowing wrong things in our life that only the Lord knows about. But He notices, even if we pretend before others.
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