(SPOILER ALERTS ARE INCLUDED)
When we first meet Steve Rogers in Captain America, he doesn’t stand out physically. However, in matters of the heart, he stands out in more ways than one. He stands out as a man of integrity, wanting to fight for what is right, and who looks out for his friends.
So when Dr. Abraham Erskine comes across Steve Rogers, he sees a man who could fit the mold of the candidate he is looking for to be a “Super Solider”. He is not looking for a man who is physically strong, but is a man who stands out in a world that is hungry for a hero. A hero that is not out for his glory, but the glory of putting others before himself and using his abilities for that aim.
It is very similar to how God told Samuel that David’s brother Eliab would not be the next king of Israel :“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.” (1 Samuel 16:7-8)
It is not until David is brought before Samuel, that God says, "Rise and anoint him, this is the one"!
David was the last born of his father’s children. He was considered the weakling, the one who attended to the sheep and defended them from attack. Yet God saw a beauty within his heart that was in line with God. We later see that God uses the same skills, he was equipped with in defending the sheep, to help him defeat Goliath. This is very similar to Steve Rogers.
Steve is abandoned by the U.S. Government after he is injected with the “super solider serum” as a assailant attacks the facility where his injection occurs, seeking what is left of the serum. He is eventually taken it by a senator who uses him as a tool to help raise money for World War II. Then he finds out about his friend Bucky and his company who is left for dead in the heat of battle. He goes out and finds them, rescuing everyone.
David and Steve knew what it meant to be abandoned and left alone, but they also knew the power of the gifts and talents they had be given. They had been forged in the secret, in the inner work of the heart.
I am learning that true character is not formed in the heat of battle, it is formed through daily choices. I must ask myself questions such as “Will I leave a good story for future generations?,” Will my life stand out and be a example? Such questions when asked of myself will help me to see that God looks at my heart.
He wants my heart to be a heart after his- to be a man of integrity, to to fight for the things he cares about, and to look out for those who God may want me to share his love with. He merely wants me to become more of His, not just being good. The above things are just the results of a heart shaped and molded by him.
Today, friends, you have a decision to make- a moment that could shape your destiny. Will you decide to be more after “God’s, than being good? Once you make the decision, it doesn’t come any easier. However, after daily choices of choosing the things of God, you will find that your heart is become more like his- even though it is a work in progress.
Be a Steve. Be a David. But most of all be God’s!!
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