Outcasts

1st Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

We know that in this chapter Samuel anoints David to be king of Israel. Samuel was a mighty prophet, and very in tune with God's voice. BUT, he was looking at the outer appearances. He saw big strapping boys, and figured one of them was going to be the king. (Please read 16:1-13 for the full story....it's a great one, worth reading, or rereading.) We also, are guilty of looking at outer appearances, aren't we. Our "first impression" of someone begins with the outer appearance. But we can't base our judgment of them or their character by how they look on the outside. It's easy to do, as we've been doing it all our lives. Even Samuel expected God to choose a big strong guy to be king. It's hard to not carry prejudices with us in our Christian walk. (By that I don't mean racial prejudices. If anyone has any of those, they need to be left at the cross. God didn't judge us by who we were, what we did, or how we looked, He sent Jesus for all of us. He's loves each equally, but yet He wants us each to know that we are His favorite! Hehehe. Awesome.) By that I mean our preconceived notions of how people are. Seeing long hair (on a guy), tattoos, and earrings in all parts of the body means whoever we are seeing is in rebellion. And that may or may not be true. Those are preconceived notions, or prejudices that we've carried into our walk with the Lord. Ask the Lord to let you see people as He sees them. Now I've got to tell you, I still catch myself doing it, and it makes me so mad at myself when I do. Jesus ministered to the outcasts of society, the ones who were hated by the religious folks. Love doesn't mean agreement with sin. But we must be in an attitude of grace. I used to have a really hard time around homosexuals. I was very uneasy around them. Perhaps it was what happened to me as a child, or something else. But whatever the case that's how it was. I've grown in that area and have ministered to some of them in the past couple years now. They are in bondage just like a drug addict, alcoholic, or adulterer. We need to pray for them, and show them love, not cut them off and ship them away to a leper's like camp. They are truly today's outcasts. In Jesus' time it was lepers and tax collectors. Tell them Jesus loves them, pray for them, and let the Lord lead you. I want to see folks the way the Lord sees them. He didn't see David as who he was on the outside, but who he was on the inside. He saw him as who he was going to be, not as who he was at the time he was chosen. At the time I came back to the Lord, people were telling folks that it was too late for me, that there was no way that I would ever come back to Jesus. I was mean, violent, a liar, a cheater.....the list goes on and on. It was too late! But guess what? They were wrong! Even I had begun to believe that. If you are an outcast, or know one, remember that God loves you. He sent His very best (Jesus) for you. He has called you to be His child, a prince or princess. Let go of the things that separate you from Him, and run to Him. He is waiting with open arms. God has called outcasts to preach the gospel. We know that God forgives, and that only He can set us free. I played games with God for some time. I pretended. He knew. He still forgave me when I came to my senses. He doesn't hold even one of those things against me anymore. The devil wanted me to believe that it was too late, that God couldn't love me anymore. But I tell you, the devil is a big fat LIAR! God hasn't given up on you. Everyone else may have, but He has not.

"Oh Lord help me to see people the way You see them. I no longer want to prejudge anyone by the way they look or even act. Please help us to lay aside all that we've learned in the world, and trust You and Your word to guide us. Send us the outcasts and anoint us to minister life to them. Thank You Lord for not giving up on us. We won't give up on them. In Jesus' name, amen."

The captives are crying out for freedom. Their only hope is Jesus. Let them see Him in the way you live your life, by the way you love. And then share with them what He's done for you. Just sit and think about how many people will die today without knowing Jesus. Do you know any of them? Tomorrow's too late. Tell them today. TTFN and God bless. :-) PJ