The Right Heart And The Right Height.

In today's devotion, I would like to introduce you to a pair of Bible characters and how they lived their lives.

The first man I would like to show you is the right height. His name is Saul.

1 Samuel 9:2 “And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

What a way to be introduced in Scripture!

Immediately we discover that Saul is a choice young man and goodly. That word "goodly" means to be impressive, attractive, and admirable. Along with these traits, we are told he was very tall and even being head and shoulders above everyone else. 

Saul was an exceptional specimen of a young man, someone who naturally stood out in the crowd. 

The children of Israel looked at Saul and were easily convinced he should be their king.

He looked the part. On the outside, he checked all the boxes for future king. 

Saul had the right height, but did he have the right heart?

Our next character is the right heart. His name is David.

 1 Samuel 16:11 “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.”

Unlike the glamourous introduction that Saul was given in Scripture, David is the forgotten youngest son. Samuel was directed by God to anoint the next king of Israel, and the king would be found in the house of Jesse. Well, David was out keeping sheep in the near desert, and Jesse didn't think it was necessary to bring in David. David probably wasn't the strongest, smartest, or most handsome. To Jesse, there was no way God would pick a lowly shepherd over the much better sons.

Yet an important reminder comes in verse seven.

1 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 seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

Unexpectedly, God picked David to be the next king because he had something vitally important in his life. Something only God could see when the people didn't

David had the right heart.

And the theme of the next two books of the Bible is all about a man after God's own heart.

God takes the true inner us very seriously. While the height mattered to men, the heart mattered to God.

As a young person, I must realize how I control my heart will determine the direction of my future.

As we look at these two men, I want to use their height and heart to represent two areas of our lives. Our height is what people can see on the outside. Our talents, abilities, appearance, accomplishments, influence, opportunities, and position. Our heart is what God sees on the inside. It can be our character, motives, desires, integrity, and walk with Him.

So from these two characters, I would like to quickly point out a couple of truths we can learn from the right height and the right heart.

1. Focus on developing the right heart, not the right height.

While Saul was on the throne, David was quietly developing the right heart out in the pasture.

David served where the brothers wouldn't serve. He was developing the right heart.

David obeyed his Father in the small things. He was developing the right heart.

David had the integrity to do what he was supposed to. He was developing the right heart.

David was building his character by killing the bear and the lion. He was developing the right heart.

David was used to God to defeat giants and be the greatest king of Israel because he had the right heart early on.

To any young people, we must focus on developing the right heart and not worry about our height. 

2. Have the right heart so you can be happy in another person's right height.

1 Samuel 18:7–9 “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

Saul had already been greatly blessed by God. He was king. He had position, authority, victories, and the admiration of Israel. Saul had plenty of “height” of his own.

The problem came when someone else's height began to exceed his. That led Saul to become greatly jealous. Because Saul's heart was not right, he could no longer enjoy what God had given him because he was consumed with what God had given someone else.

As Christians, we will be around other people that may be more talented. There will be those that sing, preach, or serve better than most and are beloved by everyone. If we do not have the right heart, we can grow jealous of those people. However, if we have the right heart, we can be glad for those that have a great height. 

3. The heart determines what you do with your height.

Saul was talented, attractive, and a choice young man. Yet because he had a wrong heart, his height was wasted. Height isn't wrong. Talent, influence, opportunity, appearance, ability, and position aren't bad. The question is whether your heart is strong enough to use those things for God. Saul had tremendous “height,” but his heart eventually corrupted what God had given him.

To the Christian, God has given you some wonderful talents and abilities. He has given you many blessings and privileges. What you do with those God-given talents is determined by the condition of your heart.

If you have the right kind of heart that is tuned with God, your height can take you far in your service for the Lord.

Saul had the height men wanted; David had the heart God wanted. Which one are you building?