The inward parts

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or upon the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Today, the most sought-after (and most expensive) violins in the world are those crafted by Guaneri del Gesu and Antonio Stradivari, going for prices reaching millions of dollars. What is it that makes them so valuable? The short answer is that they produce a sound and resonance that is unequalled.

Even today, with modern technology, many have tried to replicate similar instruments, even after studying the wood with MRI scans, computer analyzing the individual hand-made contours and even the composition of the glues that were used, but all without success. 

Part of the secret is to be found within the wood used for the making of the original violins. In the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, Stradivari is said to have gone into "Il Bosco Che Suona", The Musical Woods, on calm, moonlit nights. There, in the quiet, he would examine the trees, press his ear to the trunks and tap with a hammer to find the perfect tree. Even today, this forest is protected and has "sponsored" trees for the very same purpose. Theories abound as to what makes these trees so special, from a mini ice-age years ago, to the climate and altitude which affects their slow growth, thus producing micro pores and a unique density and grain. 

We all like to believe that we are intrinsically good people. And with that, we so often hear that we should trust our hearts ultimately. The harsh truth that God tells us is this: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"(Jeremiah 17:6), "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

So what does make a person "good"? In the Bible, one of the highest honors one can ever be said to have is to be "a man after God's own heart." Whatever good there is to be found within us does not come from us, and it takes true humility to admit such.

Jesus Christ forsake all in the ultimate act of selflessness, costing His very life, to pay the price for our sins and bestow upon us His righteousness. He emptied Himself of His will, to sacrifice Himself to God's will, in saving us. Such a thing cannot be contrived, replicated or emulated to be true. Whatever outward signs of goodness, worth and integrity we might try to display in our lives, true goodness, righteousness and eternal salvation comes only from Him, and from a humble repentance and acceptance of Him as our Savior.