Worship God in Spirit and Truth. Part [5] 05/10/2026 (Morning thought)

1st Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil.

[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 637>638] The wisdom and excellence revealed in the character and deportment, express the true beauty of the man; and it’s the inner worth, the excellency of the heart, that determines our acceptance with the Lord of hosts…. Another example of what is being spoken about can be observed in Christ’s encounter with the rich young ruler, who for all intents and purposes seemed to be doing the right things, when he asked Jesus that all important question: “what must I do to be saved.”

The answer Jesus gave him probably caused his face to beam with satisfaction, for Jesus replied that the commandments must be kept, in order to enter into eternal life. Yet, the ruler felt an unknown void deep down in his soul which he couldn’t explain nor could he satisfy. The problem is that doing right things externally is not the service or worship God is looking for, if one’s heart isn’t in a right relationship with Him.

His work in our hearts, via the Holy Ghost, involves bringing willing persons to that point where whatsoever we do will have its foundation in love to God, and love to our fellowman. In fact, even though everyone is encouraged to do the right thing, doing so, from a mere obligatory perspective will never, by itself, bring a person into fellowship with God, because God is a Spirit, and your heart has to be in it, before anything could be acceptable to Him.

1st Corinthians 13:6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believeth all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

Worship God in Spirit and Truth. Part [4] 05/10/2026 (Evening thought)

1st Samuel 16: 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.

Rather than tie the knot in a hurry, persons are to do due diligence in researching the spiritual side of the man in question. First and foremost, does he love God supremely, does his influence tend to draw you away from Christ, or does he tend to put Jesus first, in everything and in every decision he makes. These are just a few of the deciding factors that God pointed out to Samuel, so that he would not make grave errors in judgment.

In other words, the heart, the motives, and the tendency to put God first, is of much more value to the Lord in determining a man’s fitness to fill such an important position as king. That is because God is a Spirit, and the state of the mind and heart are or more consequence than the mere outward appeal that might cause persons to make hasty, ill-advised decisions. [Patriarchs & Prophets pp 637>638] Eliab was the eldest, and more nearly resembled Saul for stature and beauty than the others.

[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 637>638] His comely features and finely developed form attracted the attention of the prophet. As Samuel looked upon his princely bearing, he thought, “This is indeed the man whom God has chosen as successor to Saul,” and he waited for the divine sanction that he might anoint him. But Jehovah did not look upon the outward appearance. No outward beauty can recommend the soul to God.

1st Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees for man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!