Jump Start # 3707

Psalms 147:10 “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.”

Our world is full of fascinating, unusual and interesting things. There are so many things that grab our attention. There are many things that impresses us.

Every year there is a national hotdog eating contest. I never watch it. Stuffing hotdogs in your mouth as fast as you can isn’t something I want to see. But it is impressive to me how many hotdogs they can down. I have been in the home of a former major league baseball player. He had framed all the years of his baseball cards. I have a few of them. But to have your own face on a major league card, that’s impressive. I have sat in some very expensive sports cars, just sat, didn’t drive. Impressive. I’ve walked through some amazing palaces in Europe, impressive. I’ve seen the diamond studded crowns that kings and queens once wore. They are guarded behind glass cases today, but still, after all these years, impressive.

There are so many things that impresses us. Maybe for an anniversary dinner you go to a very expensive restaurant. You couldn’t afford to eat there every night, but on a special occasion you do. Very impressive. Maybe you met someone who got straight A’s all through high school and college. Hard to do. Very impressive. There have been a few preachers through the years who could stand before an audience and quote entire lengthy chapters of the Bible. Impressive.

Our verse today is the opposite of impressive. The strength of a horse, the legs of a man—those could impress us. The speed of a thoroughbred or an athlete who can run the hurdles at blazing speed, catches our attention, but not God’s. God does not delight in the strength of a horse. God does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. Those things do not mean much to the Lord.

The following verse states that the Lord favors those who fear Him and those who wait for His lovingkindness. God is impressed not by the size of your house, but the size of your heart. He cares little about your trust fund, but is interested in how much you trust Him.

Some thoughts:

First, what grabs our interests and attention is often superficial, vain and shallow. We care about how many hotdogs someone can eat, but give little thought to what eats us each day with worry and fear. We get impressed with the shiny, fast, and expensive and can forget it’s the simple things such as kindness and generosity that catches Heaven’s attention.

Second, what often impresses us is something that so few can do. Not many people get a professional baseball card with their likeness on it. Not everyone can afford an expensive sportscar. Few ever live in a palace. Fewer still every have a jeweled crown placed on their heads. But each of us can walk with our Savior. Each of us can have a heart that is changed by the Gospel. Each of us can live righteously. That’s what the Lord is interested in. That’s what is enduring.

The things that impresses Heaven are within are grasp. Each of us can do these things. It’s not for a select few.

Third, we are fascinated with externals, and God is looking at the internals. Character and heart is what impresses God. Jesus marveled, not at the buildings He saw. Not at the expensive chariots that some rode in. Jesus marveled at faith. Faith that was often demonstrated by Gentiles better than His own disciples. Faith that understood that Jesus could do the impossible.

Even spiritually, we get impressed by the size of the crowds or the beauty of a church building. Not Jesus. He notices hearts singing with trust and love, even in small settings. Jesus notices passionate prayers that are uttered in small, run down church buildings. It’s not the settings, the surroundings, the crowd that Jesus notices. It’s faith. Two small copper coins placed in the temple treasury was praised by Jesus. The coins didn’t amount to anything and wouldn’t buy much. But the heart that dropped those two coins in was pure gold. Jesus noticed.

And, maybe, just maybe, when we think about these things, our alignment gets straightened out. The glitter of the world passes away but the glory of the Lord will endure forever.

Thank you, Lord.

Roger