Hi all. Today’s story is from 1 Samuel 16.

God was not pleased with how the first king of Israel (Saul) had disobeyed Him. So, He told Samuel that He was going to choose a new king. So God sent Samuel (a respected priest and prophet who spoke God’s words to the people) to the city of Bethlehem.

God told Samuel to find a man named Jesse and that one of his sons would be the new king.

When Samuel got to Bethlehem, he found Jesse and his oldest son. The oldest son was big and strong. “THIS must be the man God has chosen to be king.”

But God said no. “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God wasn’t impressed by the oldest boy’s strength or good looks. God wants people who love Him and will follow and serve Him.

Jesse had 7 boys come forward before Samuel, but none of them (even though they were all strong and handsome) were the one God wanted.

“Well…there’s one left. My littlest son, David. But he’s out taking care of the sheep,” Jesse said.

They sent for David and when he came in, God said, “THAT’S the one! Make him king.”

God’s spirit came to David and helped him be strong and courageous for God.

A lot of times, we think the people God wants are the most important. The biggest, the strongest, the loudest, the prettiest…God just wants people who love Him and who will obey Him.

For our activity today, we looked in the mirror and talked about what we saw. Then we talked about what’s in our hearts. (Like the things we love and how we feel. We discussed being a good friend, loving God, wanting to help others.)

Thanks for joining us today. Love to you all!