2 Important Character Traits To Know About God

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15^{:22 “}But Samuel replied:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Observation: Here are two incredibly important character traits of GOD that every christian should know: He prefers obedience over sacrifice and He looks at your heart, not the outside stuff or what you “do.” As you read the Old Testament we see a lot of things God did and we think “holy cow, I hope he doesn’t do that anymore” but there are a few things that really show us who He is. These two verses are traits that I strongly believe God does in a New Testament world. He wants you to follow his commands, even when they don’t make sense, and He wants your heart to be good and pure.

Application: You can’t follow God if you don’t know Him. We read His word to learn more about Him. These two passages need to be applied daily. Sometimes I think that what I do is good enough, even if my heart is wrong. Obedience comes from a heart that chases God. Obedience and a righteous heart can’t operate separate from one another. If you want to obey, you need to examine your heart (see yesterday’s blog) and if you want a good heart, you need to follow God’s instruction. In the story of Saul, God reveals Jesus to us.

Prayer: God, make my heart pure, my motives right, and the strength to obey.