But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (CSB)
“I don’t trust anyone unless someone convinces me to trust them.” This is a phrase that I often repeated to my students. One day, one of them decided to ask me what the reason was. Hearing me tell him that you never know the intentions of a person who appears to be kind and friendly, he responded that it is easy for him to read people and know who they are. You are greatly mistaken, I replied, it is only God who truly knows the hearts of men.
This is a reality that we are often, even too often, confronted with in our churches. We are willing to allow someone to be at the center of the stage or give them important responsibilities because they have a zeal for spiritual things. When he has to speak, he expounds much more on his spiritual experiences and faith than focusing on a specific topic. For this reason, we trust him without knowing that, sometimes, it is a way of manipulating us to achieve his goal. I'm not saying that a zealous person is untrustworthy.
Just like Paul, I suggest taking a step back to better analyze this person's life because, as I said above, only God knows hearts. I really like the attitude of the disciples when they had to replace Judas. They gathered in the upper room to pray (Acts 1:12-26) for God to decide who He wants. Whoever you let into your life or plan to engage in an activity with, make sure God is aware of that decision. He is the only one who sees the intention of the heart, He doesn't just look at the outside like you and me do.
May the grace and peace of God be with you all.
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