1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Devotional Thoughts
By David Wilkerson
It is possible to walk before the Lord with a perfect heart! God said to Abraham, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless" (Genesis 17:1).
God also said to the children of Israel, " You shall be blameless before the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 18:13). David determined in his heart to obey this command. He said, "I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.... I will walk within my house with a perfect heart" (Psalm 101:2).
Scripture also points out that Solomon fell short of God's command to be perfect: "His heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.... [He] did not fully follow the Lord, as did David his father" (1 Kings 11:4-6).
We see the Lord's command to be perfect in the New Testament as well. Jesus said, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
Perfection does not mean a sinless, flawless heart. Man judges by outward appearances, by what he sees. But God judges the heart, the unseen motives (1 Samuel 16:7). David was said to have had a perfect heart toward God "all the days of his life," yet he failed the Lord often. His life was marked forever by adultery and a notorious murder.
The basic definition of perfect is completeness and maturity. In the Hebrew and Greek, the definition includes: uprightness, being without spot, without blemish, totally obedient. It means to finish what was started; a complete performance. Wesley called it "constant obedience."
A perfect heart is a responsive heart. It quickly and totally answers the Lord's wooings, whisperings and warnings. This heart says at all times, "Speak, Lord, for your servant heareth. Show me the path and I will walk in it."