FIRST IMPRESSIONS - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2026

Our Daily Bread - Sunday, November 29, 2015
by RBC Ministries

Details

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

READ:

For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
-1 Samuel 16:7

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ezekiel 35-36
2 Peter 1

As I shopped for groceries one day, I was perceived as a thief by one person and a hero by another.
As I exited the supermarket, an employee said, "Excuse me, Sir. There are too many unbagged items in your cart." This is evidently a strategy used by shoplifters. When he saw that they were products too big to be bagged, he apologised and sent me on my way.
In the parking lot, a woman glanced at my embroidered sportsman's cap. Mistaking it for a military hat, she said "Thank you for defending our country!". Then she walked away.
The supermarket employee and the woman in the parking lot had each formed hasty conclusions about me. It's easy to form opinions of others based on first impressions.
When Samuel was to select the next king of Israel from the sons of Jesse, he too made a judgment based on first impression. However, God's chosen was not any of the older sons. The Spirit told Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature" (1 Samuel 6:7). God chose David, the youngest, who looked least like a king.
God can help us view people through His eyes, for "the Lord does not see as man sees;...the Lord looks at the heart"(v.7). - Dennis Fisher
If we could view through eyes of faith
The people we meet each day
We'd quickly see God's gracious hand
In all who come our way. - D.DeHaan

First impressions can often lead to wrong conclusions.

More From Our Daily Devotional Archives

The LORD is near
for Thursday, December 26, 2013
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

THE NON-LYING GOD (1)

One of themselves, a prophet of their own, has said, Cretans are always liarsThis testimony is true; for which cause rebuke them severely, that they may be sound in the faith.
(Titus 1:12-13)

THE NON-LYING GOD (1)
Have you ever thought about one word or phrase for an entire...More

Our Daily Bread
for Friday, March 9, 2019
by RBC Ministries

Welcoming Strangers

Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 8-10; Mark 11:19-33

Deuteronomy 10:19

Today's Scripture & Insight: Deuteronomy 10:12-19

When my friends lived in Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, they were overwhelmed by the warm welcome they received there,...More

The Word for today
for Sunday, June 5, 2023
by Bob and Debby Gass

Today God is calling you (3)

I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail.' Luke 22:32 NASB

God wants you to do His will, but you'll never reach the place of spiritual maturity in which you're free of Satan. You can overcome him, but you can't eliminate him. Look at Peter. He had only one gear: overdrive. He was always...More