Content of Character

Martin Luther King dreamed of a day when people would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. This week we are witnessing an historic and monumental event in the life of our country. We begin this week by celebrating the life of Martin Luther King and continue by watching the inauguration of our first black president.

We are reminded in I Samuel 16 that the Lord doesn’t make decisions the way we do. “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.” In other words – God looks at a person’s heart. As Christians, we want to see people as God sees them, looking past the outside and looking at the type of person they are on the inside. We all have a tendency to judge by outward appearances, so we must seek God’s heart continually in order to have a heart like His.

It is difficult to see a person’s heart, but scripture says “by their fruit you will know them.” We are not to go around judging and condemning people on what we assume are their intentions, but we are to be discerning. Good trees produce good fruit and bad trees, bad fruit. This week, let’s be reminded that what is important to God is not on the surface, but what is in the heart. Let’s check our own hearts and make sure we are humbly walking in obedience to Him. And then let’s consider how we look at others. Are we judging others by their outward appearance or are we considering the content of their character?