What actually matters to God?

Thought for the Day: God looks at the heart.

A little over twenty years ago, a young baseball executive named Billy Beane came to a startling conclusion: his understanding of how to evaluate a professional player’s appropriate salary was completely wrong. General Managers and scouts had previously determined how much a player should be paid based how well they measured up statistically (i.e. ERA, batting average, home runs, etc). However, Beane and his staff changed the game by realizing that only one statistic truly matters: getting on base. With Beane’s willingness to embrace this philosophy during the 2002 season, Major League Baseball changed forever.

When the Israelites were ruled by Judges, they had a flawed understanding of what mattered. Looking around at the other nations, the people wanted to keep up and have a king of their own. In their desire to find the right leader, the Israelites wanted a king who measured up: “There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than [Saul]. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.” But, height and looks were the wrong criteria. Their first king, Saul, was stubborn, rash, and did not obey God. In an effort to measure up, the Israelites selected leader based on the wrong criteria!

How often do we find ourselves trying to measure up to others? Many people only focus on the things we can see. In baseball, home runs may seem impressive, but they don’t win championships on their own. In the Ancient World kings, height, and outward appearances didn’t guarantee success. So too in our lives, we may find ourselves focused on visible things that really aren’t all that important. Instead, let’s remember why God chose David, a humble shepherd boy: “man looks upon the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart”! We need to value what matters and ignore what distracts us. God cares about our hearts!

In Christ,

Pastors Stan and David