God's voice

Psalm 95:6-7 (NLT)

6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!

Here the psalmist declares that we should come and joyfully worship The Lord, who is our creator and our God. For God watches over us like a shepherd watching over his flock. Listen, listen closely for God’s voice today.

In the movie, The Horse Whisperer, Tom Booker, played by actor Robert Redford, employs his special gift of "gentling" horses.

A tense, New York magazine editor can't believe her eyes as she witnesses the gradual transformation of her daughter's horse from traumatized to tamed. In one telling scene, the horse, frightened by the editor's ringing cell phone, gallops off into the far end of a large pasture. Booker walks into the pasture and sits down, where he waits for what appears to be hours. The horse, drawn by its curiosity, inches closer and closer. Finally, it cautiously approaches close enough to touch the "whisperer," and allows itself to be led back to the safety of its stall.

That's the way it is with God, as he "gentles" the untamed or traumatized people who run from him. [Clark Cothern, author and pastor, Tecumseh, Michigan]

I love the words of this old hymn, “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling— Calling for you and for me; Patiently Jesus is waiting and watching— Watching for you and for me! Come home! come home! Ye who are weary, come home! Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!

Fix your thoughts on God

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

It is the character of every good man that he trusts in God, puts himself under his guidance and government, and depends upon him that it shall be greatly to his advantage to do so. Those that trust in God must have their minds stayed upon him, must trust him at all times, under all events, must firmly and faithfully adhere to him, with an entire satisfaction in him; and such as do so God will keep in perpetual peace, and that peace shall keep them. When evil tidings are abroad those shall calmly expect the event, and not be disturbed by frightful apprehensions arising from them, whose hearts are fixed, trusting in the Lord. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Chuck Swindoll shares the following story about a conversation with a Christian leader who started a new ministry for the Navigators in Uganda. The man told Swindoll that after much discussion and prayer, he and his wife were convinced that God wanted them to move to Uganda. So they uprooted their family and flew to Kenya, where he put his family up in a hotel so he could rent a Land Rover and travel across the border into Uganda.

At this point he definitely needed the kind of encouragement only God can give. The man told Swindoll, "I dropped to my knees, and I said, 'Lord, look, I'm afraid. I'm in a country I don't know, in a culture that's totally unfamiliar. I have no idea who sleeps in that bed. Please, show me that you're in this move!'"

And then, he said, "Just as I was finishing my prayer, the door flung open, and there stood this six-foot five-inch African frowning at me, saying in beautiful British English, 'What are you doing in my room?'"

"I kneeled there for a moment, and then I muttered, 'They gave me this bed, but I'll only be here one night.'"

"What are you doing in my country?" the African asked.

"Well, I'm with a [Christian] organization called the Navigators."

"Ahh! The Navigators!" Suddenly the tall African broke into an enormous grin, threw his arms around his new roommate, and laughed out loud as he lifted him up off the floor and danced around the room with him.

"Praise God, praise God," said the African. "For two years I have prayed that God would send someone to me from this organization." And he pulled out a little Scripture memory-verse pack and pointed to where, at the bottom of each of the verses, it read, "The Navigators, Colorado Springs, Colorado."

This Ugandan eventually became a board member for the new Navigators ministry in Uganda. He helped the American leader find a place to live, assisted him with the language, and became the Navigator staff member's best friend. [Chuck Swindoll, Embraced by the Spirit (Zondervan, 2011)]

Fix your thoughts on God and He will provide you with the perfect peace you need.

Members of the body

Romans 12:4-5 (NKJV)

4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Each member hath its place and office, for the good and benefit of the whole, and of every other member. We are not only members of Christ, but we are members one of another. We stand in relation one to another; we are engaged to do all the good we can one to another, and to act in conjunction for the common benefit. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Many Christians have been infected with the most virulent virus of modern American life, what sociologist Robert Bellah calls “radical individualism.” They concentrate on personal obedience to Christ as if all that matters is “Jesus and me,” but in doing so miss the point altogether. For Christianity is not a solitary belief system. Any genuine resurgence of Christianity, as history demonstrates, depends on a reawakening and renewal of that which is the essence of the faith—that is, the people of God, the new society, the body of Christ, which is made manifest in the world—the church. [Chuck Colson, The Body (Word, 1992), p.32]

We may be individuals, but we are members of a greater body, The Body of Christ. While each of us have a relationship to Christ, we also have a relationship to one another, working together for the greater good of all.

The peace of God's law

Psalm 119:165 (NKJV)

165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

Nothing shall offend them; nothing shall be a scandal, snare, or stumbling-block, to them, to entangle them either in guilt or grief. No event of providence shall be either an invincible temptation or an intolerable affliction to them, but their love to the word of God shall enable them both to hold fast their integrity and to preserve their tranquility. They will make the best of that which is, and not quarrel with any thing that God does. Nothing shall offend or hurt them, for every thing shall work for good to them, and therefore shall please them, and they shall reconcile themselves to it. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Anne Morrow wrote, I want first of all ... to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact--to borrow the language of the saints--to live "in grace" as much of the time as possible. I am not using this term in a strictly theological sense. By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony. I am seeking perhaps what Socrates asked for in the prayer from the Phaedrus, when he said, "May the outward and inward man be one." I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God. [Anne Morrow Lindbergh in Gift from the Sea. Leadership, Vol. 13, no. 2.]

The love of God’s word can bring peace into a person’s life and keep them from stumbling. It is important to know peace so peace can grow inside a person’s soul and become apparent and external to others so they may know peace too.

An open heart of thanksgiving

Psalm 116:1-2 (NKJV)

1 I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

He had experienced God's goodness to him in answer to prayer: He has heard my voice and my supplications. David, in straits, had humbly and earnestly begged mercy of God, and God had heard him, that is, had graciously accepted his prayer, taken cognizance of his case, and granted him an answer of peace. He has inclined his ear to me. This intimates his readiness and willingness to hear prayer; he lays his ear, as it were, to the mouth of prayer, to hear it, though it be but whispered in groanings that cannot be uttered. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

A growing body of research has tied an attitude of gratitude with a number of positive emotional and physical health benefits. A November 2010 article in The Wall Street Journal summarized the research:

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy, or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections.

Now, researchers are finding that gratitude brings similar benefits in children and adolescents. [Studies also show that] kids who feel and act grateful tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches, and feel more satisfied with their friends, families, and schools than those who don't.

The researchers concluded, "A lot of these findings are things we learned in kindergarten or our grandmothers told us, but now we have scientific evidence to prove them …. The key is not to leave it on the Thanksgiving table." [Melinda Beck, "Thank You. No, Thank You," The Wall Street Journal (11-23-10)]

Keep your heart open to giving thanks to The Lord. For The Lord hears our voice and responds with love, mercy and grace.

The Lord is with us

Psalm 16:8 (NLT)

8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

The psalmist knows The Lord is always present in his life. He knows God is close by and hears him when he speaks. He knows God is watching after him. And he knows God keeps him on the right path for God is right beside him.

I was visiting on death row in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. I asked one man if he would like to talk, and he said he would. He was a smallish man whose wire-rimmed glasses and intelligent expression made him look a little professorial. I asked him how he spends his days. He picked up his NIV Bible, hefted it, and said, "I spend a lot of time reading our book. I'm glad it's so big. I'll never get to the bottom of it." Then he said something I'll never forget. "You know," he said, "there are 2 billion of us Christians in the world, and everything today that any of us does that's any good has something to do with our book. And I have a copy of it right here in my cell!" [Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Reading for Preaching (William B. Eerdmans, 2013), pp. 9-10]

God is always close, even visiting those who have sinned. For God loves a repentant heart and one who turns back to Him. When we stay close to God we will not be shaken, for He is right beside us!

Love one another

John 13:34-35 (NIV)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The disciples knew the Ten Commandments of the law, but here Jesus gives them a new commandment to love one another as Christ loved them. For Christ loved them where they were in life and brought them close to Him.

In her funny, off-beat memoir, journalist and writer Heather Havrilesky reminds us how community (whether in a family or a church family) implies carrying one another's burdens. Havrilesky writes:

If I get sick or lose my mind, I'll ask my husband or my kids or my friends to rise to the occasion and come to my aid. And they'd better come through for me, [darn] it! I dried your tears and paid too much for replicas of lost teddy bears on eBay. I took care of cats and plants and talked you through home purchases and career dilemmas and bad breakups. …

I'll continue to be there, as long as I can be. But someday, you might have to come to my rescue. Brace yourselves, because it won't be pretty. Isn't that what love and friendship are really about?

We weren't meant to suffer alone! We weren't meant to … escape the indignity and frustration of asking for help, for needing help, from someone who might not always enjoy giving it, someone who gets on our nerves, who has never made much sense to us, someone whom we break down and bicker with occasionally. We were meant to lean on each other, as messy and imperfect as that can be, to be capable when we can, and to allow the world to take care of us when we can't. It won't be all bad. Or it will be. But at least we'll have each other. [Heather Havrilesky, Disaster Preparedness (Riverhead Trade, 2011), page 57]

Heather is right when she says “we weren’t meant to suffer alone” and we should not allow others to suffer alone either. We should be able to love and be loved. We should follow the example of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 below and express love to those who need it.

1 Corinthians 13 says, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Thankful

Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)

21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

In this verse the apostle tells us that he is ready to glorify Christ in life or to live in glory with Christ in death. For the apostle knows we should always give thanks for where God has placed us.

The Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling was born with a birth defect—his left arm was disabled and much shorter than his right. Then, in his early 40s, a motorcycle accident nearly killed him and paralyzed his healthy right arm. While he was in the hospital recovering from the accident, Kling learned a life-changing lesson about "the three phases of prayer."

In the first phase of prayer, we pray to get things from God. In the second phase, we pray to get out of things. While he was in rehab for his accident, Kling learned the third phase of prayer—giving thanks to God. Kling says:

I'd been through many surgeries during my six week stay in the hospital. And each day, I would ride the elevator to the ground floor and try and take a walk. That was my job. 9/11 had happened the week before. And as our country was entering trauma, I was living one. After my walk, my wife Mary and I went into the gift shop, and she asked if I wanted an apple. She said they looked really good. Now, I hadn't tasted food in over a month … I lost a lot of weight because food had no appeal. So I said no, but she persisted. Come on. Try it. So finally, I said all right. And I took a bite. And for some reason, that was the day flavor returned, and that powerful sweetness rushed from that apple. Oh, it was incredible.

I started to cry, cry for the first time in years. The tears flowed and as the anesthesia and antibiotics flushed through my tears, it burned my eyes. And between the sweetness of that apple and the burning for my tears, it felt so good to be alive. I blurted out, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for this life." And that's when my prayers shifted, again, to giving thanks.

[Kevin Kling, "Prayer, Once a Last Resort, Now a Habit," NPR (1-10-07); On Being, "The Losses and Laughter We Grow Into," American Public Media (3-7-13)]

All of us face difficult situations in life. Some face pain on a daily basis. Some live with financial difficulties. And there are others who have just been down trodden by life.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

God's praise for us

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (NLT)

17 As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 18 When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

The world tells us we should sing our own praises so that others will notice us and acknowledge the work we have done. God tells us if we do His work and boast of Him then He will commend us for what we have done in His name.

In his book Pursuing Justice, Ken Wystma tells the following story about an African Christian leader who has spent the last 15 years helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Wytsma writes:

He was born and raised in what is one of the most war-torn regions on the globe today—eastern Congo. His life is regularly threatened, and he faces the seemingly impossible task of trying to restore villages decimated by rape, murder, and plunder.

Some visiting executives from a large, well-known global relief organization once toured the region. They noticed what an effective job my friend was doing, and offered him a position as the leader of their Congo operations. He quickly turned them down.

On paper it was the kind of offer you can't refuse—higher pay, more security, great influence. A dream promotion for most Westerners. But he refused for a simple reason. He said,

God gave me the job I have, he's helped me build the relationships and the respect that I have. He has opened the door for me all these years and kept me safe on every trip out into the bush. I'm right where God has called me to be, so why would I go anywhere else? I don't just want to do good. I want to be where God wants me to be.  [Ken Wytsma, Pursuing Justice (Thomas Nelson, 2013), pp. 161-162]

Our greatest praises come from God who loves us. God has a purpose for each and every one of us and He praises us as we fill that purpose. Ask God to direct and lead you in your daily life.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Revelation 3:20 (NLT)

20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

During the life of Christ He was often pushed away by the religious leaders. They listened to words of Jesus, but not as a friend would, but as an enemy trying to trap Him by own His words. In the verse above we find Jesus making a personal appeal to all people. If you hear His voice and you open the door to your heart, Jesus will abide with you in a close, personal, and warm friendship.

Arthur F. Burns, the chairman of the United States Federal Reserve System and ambassador to West Germany, was a man of considerable gravity. Medium in height, distinguished, with wavy silver hair and his signature pipe, he was economic counselor to a number of presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan. When he spoke, his opinions carried weight, and Washington listened. Arthur Burns was also Jewish, so when he began attending an informal White House group for prayer and fellowship in the 1970s, he was accorded special respect. No one in fact quite knew how to involve him in the group, and, week after week when different people took turns to end the meeting in prayer, Burns was passed by—out of a mixture of respect and reticence.

One week, however, the group was led by a newcomer who did not know the unusual status Burns occupied. As the meeting ended, the newcomer turned to Arthur Burns and asked him to close the time with a prayer. Some of the old-timers glanced at each other in surprise and wondered what would happen. But without missing a beat, Burns reached out, held hands with others in the circle, and prayed this prayer: "Lord, I pray that you would bring Jews to know Jesus Christ. I pray that you would bring Muslims to know Jesus Christ. Finally, Lord, I pray that you would bring Christians to know Jesus Christ. Amen." [Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, (W Publishing, 2003), p. 101]

So many have pushed Jesus away, either because they choose to do so, they don’t feel worthy of His love, they have hardened their heart or so many other excuses. Even Christians who have professed their commitment to Jesus Christ still don’t know him as they should, because they are not opening up their heart to have a close, personal and warm friendship with Him.

O soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior And life more abundant and free.  [Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Helen Howarth Lemmel]

The Riches of God

Psalm 119:14 (NLT)

14 I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches.

David had asked God before to teach him His statues so that he might understand God. In knowing God’s laws David rejoiced as much as if he had been handed riches. For the riches he received in knowledge were as valuable as any treasure could be.

A poor, good woman said, in time of persecution, when they took away the Christian's Bibles, "I cannot part with my Bible; I know not how to live without it." When a gracious soul has heard a profitable sermon, he says, "Methinks it does me good at heart; it is the greatest nourishment I have": I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. [Oliver Heywood, 1629-1702]

The way of thy testimonies. The testimony of God is his word, for it testifies his will; the "way" of his testimony is the practice of his word, and doing of that which he hath declared to be his will, and wherein he hath promised to show us his love. David found not this sweetness in hearing, reading, and professing the word only; but in practicing of it: and in very deed, the only cause why we find not the comfort that is in the word of God is that we practice it not by walking in the way thereof. It is true, at the first it is bitter to nature, which loves carnal liberty, to render itself as captive to the word: laboriosa virtutis via, and much pains must be taken before the heart be subdued; but when it is once begun, it renders such joy as abundantly recompenses all the former labour and grief. [William Cowper]

God is ready to help

Psalm 46:1 (NLT)

1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

God is our refuge and strength; we have found him so, he has engaged to be so, and he ever will be so. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Kayla Mueller, 26 years old, was captured by ISIS, and on February 10, 2015 U.S. officials confirmed that Muslim extremists had murdered her while in captivity. In the spring of 2014 as a captor she wrote to her family. The letter begins with Kayla's assurance that she has been treated well, and is "in a safe location, completely unharmed + healthy." The 26-year-old aid worker goes on to apologize touchingly to her family for the suffering that she has put them through because of her captivity. Then comes her central proposition: "I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator b/c literally there was no else."

Kayla, who was involved in the campus ministry at Northern Arizona University, goes on to relate how "by God + by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall." She adds: "I have been shown in darkness, light + have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it."

She concluded, "Please be patient, give your pain to God. I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing. Do not fear for me, continue to pray as will I. By God's will we will be together soon. All my everything, Kayla" [Stephen L. Carter, "On Kayla Mueller and Faith," BloombergView (2-13-15); submitted by Ted De Haas, Slater, Iowa]

God is our refuge and strength. When there is no one else, there is God. God is always present in our lives ready to help in times of touble.

God's Chosen Nation

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

In this verse the disciple reminds the people of Israel that they are a chosen generation of people that should proclaim the praises of God who brought salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. This nation was taught the difference between the darkness of sin and the holiness of light. Therefore they should live in the light as a holy nation.

America was founded by people seeking freedoms from the governments that oppressed them. Religious freedom was one of the motivations for colonists to come to America. Puritans and pilgrims wanted to be able to establish their religion freely without influence of politics and government. They wanted to be able to have freedom to worship as they pleased without being told what religion they should participate in.

The majority of those who founded America were Christians. Christians understood the laws handed down by God to the Jewish nation. They also understood the love, grace and mercy God had given through His Son Jesus Christ. Our country has been a great supporter of Israel because of common religious ties. However, it seems those ties have weakened just as the Christian population has weakened.

We need to remember we are NOT the chosen nation of God. Israel was the chosen people and only them. Others have benefited from the love, grace and mercy of God, but no others have told they were chosen as Israel was told.

I believe this nation must be careful not to lose the Christian beliefs and ties we have to Jewish religion. If we lose those values God may take away the blessings He has so freely placed on this nation. Many would agree the morality and previous values of this country have deteriorated. When the same happened with God’s chosen people, Israel, God allowed them to suffer the consequences. So do we really think as this nation moves away from God that we won’t suffer the same?

Our Trust in The Lord

Psalm 118:5-9 (NKJV)

5 I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.

This account from David tells us of his distress and The Lord’s answer to him. David has no doubt that God is on his side. David has not doubt that God will be his defender when man fails to help.

Evelyn Bence in, Two Kinds of Thanks, from Christianity Today, November 1999 writes: My three hours at the shelter were not filled with dramatic scenes. From a corner of the large sleeping area, I helped serve dinner to 30 women who ate their substantial but bland meal, sitting cross-legged on their sleeping mats. Except for two boisterously irrational women, they talked little. By nine o'clock, many were bedding down for the night.

"Homeless." As I did the dishes, still within sight of the women, the word took on a personal meaning. These women slept here, but every morning when they left, they had to carry their possessions with them.

Suddenly I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my nightgowns, for my very own pillow, for my hand-picked dining room chairs. "Lord," I silently prayed as I walked to Christy's office to say good night, "thank you. Thank you—that I'm not one of them."

Christy met me in the hallway and interrupted my pharisaical thoughts with her own gratitude for my help. I asked her about certain women who had caught my attention.

Routy Rachel, Christy explained, had a Ph.D. in art history. Gradually her mind had slipped out of her own grasp. Ester, who had talked to herself all evening, was the mother of five children. She was a midwestern farmer's wife—until her life crumbled around her. Christy didn't know much about Carol, who had lain on her back for more than an hour, reading her King James Bible. Marla, who had seemed sullen, was a trained soprano who occasionally enjoyed serenading the rest of the group.

Only after I walked back out into the night air did the women's stories unsettle me. Their paths had too much in common with mine. In a sense, I was one of them: A mother's daughter. Vulnerable. A sinner in need of grace. …   [Evelyn Bence, "Two Kinds of Thanks," Christianity Today magazine (November, 1999)]

We are all sinners in need of grace. May we deeply understand the love, mercy and grace The Lord extends us so we can demonstrate it in our own lives.

Prayer

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NIV)

2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: 3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

God who created the Heavens and the Earth and all of creation says to us, “Call to me and I will answer you” and what we will learn are great and unknown things, which we have not understood. [Those that expect to receive comforts from God must continue instant in prayer. We must call upon him, and then he will answer us. ~Matthew Henry]

Phil Callaway didn’t know what to say when his young children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered horrible seizures. Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed, but Ramona’s weight eventually slipped to ninety pounds. Medical specialists tried everything, but by the fall of 1996, the seizures were occurring daily, sometimes hourly.

Phil rarely left Ramona’s side. He wondered if she would even make it to her thirtieth birthday. One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil paced their dark backyard, then fell to his knees. "God!" he cried out. "I can’t take it anymore. Please do something!"

As he stood, a doctor’s name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diagnosed a rare chemical deficiency. Within a week, Ramona was a different person. The seizures ended. Her eyes lit up with the sparkle that had first attracted Phil to her. The miracle was so incredible Phil says, "God gave me back my wife." [Christian Reader (Jan/Feb 2002), pp.12-13; source: Luis Palau, It's a God Thing]

Jesus affirmed, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" Matthew 7:7.

Remember to pray, pray earnestly, and fervently that The Lord may grant answers beyond your expectation.

Looks or actions.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “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.”

This is a reminder that God does not see things the way we do. While we look at the outward appearance of people, God examines the hearts of people.

Although we like to believe that beauty runs only skin deep, research shows that it pays to be good-looking. A 2010 survey by Newsweek concluded, "In all elements of the workplace, from hiring to politics to promotions … looks matter, and they matter hard." The research provided the following results:

Favoritism Happens: 57 percent of hiring managers believe an unattractive (but qualified) job candidate will have a harder time getting hired.

Favoritism Continues: 68 percent of hiring managers believe that, once hired, looks will affect the way managers rate an employee's job performance.

Your Looks Matter More Than Your Resume: 59 percent of hiring managers advised spending as much time and money "making sure they look attractive" as on perfecting a resume.

It's Worse for Women: 61 percent of hiring managers (and 60 percent of them were men) said that women would benefit from wearing clothes that show off their figure.

We Judge Overweight People: Although 75 percent of Americans are overweight, about 66 percent of managers said they thought some managers would hesitate before hiring someone who is significantly overweight.

We Also Judge Old People: 84 percent of managers said their bosses would hesitate before hiring a qualified candidate who looked much older than his or her co-workers.

We Think Favoritism Based on Looks Is OK: 64 percent of hiring managers said they believe companies should be allowed to hire people based on looks.

How do you judge the character of a person, by their looks or by their actions? Actions are lasting, but beauty is fleeting.