Sunday, October 7, 2018

What Does God Regard?

While Reading Isaiah with Luther by Brian Kachelmeier, I came across a Luther quote.   

Luther contends that a man, who thinks he's godly, might say about his works:
 "God truly has regard for these things"
...when, in fact, God doesn't regard the man. 

What Luther is saying is that a man can look to his own ideas and works, even godly works, and believe that he's pleasing God, when he isn't.  

I've been thinking about that and asking myself:
"What does God regard?"
Or what does God look on with favor or approval?  And how do I know?

In today's society, we might think that our business or job success, our special talents, or even supportive friends and family mean that we're meeting with God's approval.  

About the Christian church, we might think that our worship attendance, the offering, or the building is a measure of God's approval.  

The perception is that God favors us when we're prospering in these areas.

Is that right?  Is God showing His favor or approval by giving us what society sees as good?

What does God regard?
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7b 
And that passage is talking about David. 

David went from being a shepherd, to fighting Goliath, to being hunted down by King Saul.  Then David became King.  And as King, he committed adultery and murder.  

Adultery and murder???  

But the Lord looks to the heart.

About half of the Psalms, the Bible's book of prayers, were written by David. 

David prayed to and was honest before his God.  David's heart knew his own sin, and he looked to God for mercy and forgiveness. 
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  Psalm 34:18
I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. Psalm 38:18
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.  Psalm 39:7 
God calls David a man after His own heart - Acts 13:22.

And David calls God "the God of my salvation" the One "who blots out iniquities" and "creates a clean heart" - Psalm 51.

God "regarded" David because David lived with full dependence on God, including and especially, David trusted God for the forgiveness of his sins. 

So just looking at the good or the bad that happens to me and the sin I fall into - it may or may not be that God regards me well...but it's my heart that He looks at, a heart that is shaped by His Spirit and His Word, by the knowledge that Jesus died for my sins and that the tomb was empty.  

With my heart continually being made new by His Word and truth, I can live in confidence that God has regard for me.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  Psalm 34:8 
But this is the one to whom I will look:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word.  Isaiah 66:2b


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