Appearance isn’t everything

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.”

1 Samuel 16:7

God was speaking about one of David’s older brothers in this verse.  Samuel thought that this fine young man must be the one God has selected to be the new king after Saul.  Samuel made that assumption based on his person thoughts.  I can only imagine that he was thinking our new king needs to be Strong, Courageous, Brave, Handsome, Tall, Muscular, and Smart (In no particular order).  What Samuel didn’t realize was that David was all of those things he just wasn’t developed yet. 

How often do you feel like you don’t have the skills necessary to do something, or for that matter anything?  Personally, I feel that way a lot.  When I was younger I remember being afraid to do something because I might mess it up.  If I tear it apart, I might not be able to put it back together then what?  As I got older, I realized that as long as I paid attention to the little details there wasn’t anything that I couldn’t do, simply because I knew that God was there.  I knew that God would give the necessary skills and knowledge to complete the project.  Much like he did with David. 

David had the courage to go up against a man who was close to 9’9” tall with no armor truly no weapons just some small stones and a sling.  David also knew that God was with him, he could feel it.  He knew that he was standing up for what was right, he was defending God.  David’s oldest brother the one mentioned in the scripture didn’t have the same courage. To be honest I don’t think I would have had the courage either.  The point is that God new what David would develop into.  He knows everything about everybody; he doesn’t judge us by our cover.  He looks closely at us to discover our true potential.

God, today we come to with open hearts and open minds.  We ask so much yet we give you so little, still you continually bless us.  Lord, we ask that you would help us to see not only our true potential, but also the potential in others.  Help us to look past their outward appearance and look deep into their hearts and our hearts.  Do not allow our eyes to be the hindrance that causes us to stumble.  We pray that you help us to believe in yourselves.  Even your son had troubles moments before being takin into custody.  He asked that if it be your will to remove the trouble before him.  God he trusted you, and so do we.  We know that you know what is best for us.  We ask that you give us the faith of Daniel in the lion’s den, hope of Moses in wilderness, and the heart of David always putting you first.  Lord thank you for your insight and wisdom, than you for your help in our everyday situations.  Thank you

Amen

Humility pays off, ALWAYS

The bible talks a lot about being humble, why do you think that is?  I believe that its more important to be humble than it is to be right.  Let’s say that you and your spouse don’t necessarily agree on some topics, I know that never happens but let’s say it does for this. Lol.  Is it really important that you win the battle and what will it cost really cost you in the end?  Those are questions that I ask myself every time that we start to bicker.  Does it really matter if I am right? Will it matter in 5 years if I win this argument?  Most of the time the answer is no it wont.  I was always told, as a child that I could argue with a fence post and in the end, the fence post would give up before I did.  I sure hope that I have changed that some. 

Humility is something that allows us to see that being right isn’t all that matters.  Sometimes we fight and fight and fight to get what we want and in the end, it wasn’t what we really needed.  Being humble and compassionate allows us to see the other side of every conversation or situation.  There is a good chance that we cant see the whole picture, especially when we get aggravated.

The second part of these verses talks about not repaying evil with evil. The best mentor that ever walked the earth, Jesus, spoke about how to treat your enemies.  He said that if one of them asks for your shirt then give them your coat.  Even if someone wrongs you forgive him or her immediately and don’t try to wrong them.  I can tell you that I have struggled with this many times, and I’m sure that the struggle is not over.  I try hard every day though to this my principle.

Lord, we come you to day with an extremely open heart.  We ask for so much and you have already given us more than we can ever imagine.  We ask that you help our hearts to be humble, compassionate, sympathetic, and forgiving.  We also ask that you help us to be strong enough and have the courage to pray for those who have wronged us.  Help is show them the love they so desperately need.  Help us to follow in your sons footsteps and listen, really listen to his advice about giving.  Lord we thank you for everything that you blessed us with, we thank you for your love, your compassion, and your sympathy. Lord thank you!

Is Prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?

Do you only pray when you are in trouble?  I find that when things are going really well, I don’t talk to God as much as I should.    Life gets busy and we fill our days with so much that we don’t leave time to spend with God in prayer.   This is so important especially as we move into the holiday season when our lives are filled with family and friends, food, travel, and gifts.  Please don’t forget to talk to God.  There is always time.  First thing in the morning before you get out of bed, taking a shower, or driving to work.  Take a second to thank God for the weather, your family, your animals, the food you ate, your friends, your job, there is always something.  Find something to be thankful for no matter how small.  God is listening.  Ask God for guidance with a situation you are having.  Ask to open our hearts to solutions we have not yet thought of.  Pray for your family and friends health.  With just a breath you will feel more connected with God and the person you truly want to be.  Whether your in a season of peace and excitement, or troubled and hardships.  Look for that opportunity to talk to God.  He is listening to you.  Also the more you pray the easier it gets.  Try praying in a few different ways and see what works for you.  Silently in your head and heart.  Out loud in a quiet space.  Write it down in a prayer journal.  What ever way feels good to you. I have a friend that keeps a prayer journal and then goes back and writes how they were answered.  It is not always our plan or the way we think it should go, but know that God does answer your prayers.  Ask yourself is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?  I encourage you to let God be your steering wheel, talk to him daily and let him guide your every decision.  Don’t just come to God when you are stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire.  Don’t keep your relationship with him tucked away for a rainy day, utilize your relationship with him every day!

Please God be with us this week and encourage us to pray everyday several times a day.  Feel our hearts with comfort and peace.  Guide us in the direction you want us to go.  Please God help us to make prayer our steering wheel and not our spare tire. 

Hand it ALL over to God, Today!

When was the last time you fully submitted your thoughts, body, mind, and will to God? Not just for a moment, or even an hour once a week but fully submitted every aspect of your life to God? I can tell you that it has been a while for me. I try to do it regularly, but I have a tendency to only give him a few things and not everything.

Have you ever been worried about something? Maybe your kid comes home with C’s on his report card. Maybe your spouse is having issues at work. Maybe you are having issues being motivated to start working out. Maybe your parents are aggravating you because they won't let you live your life. There are millions of maybes. What's yours?

I can tell you from my personal experience that I when I'm over whelmed I have to stop what I'm doing and start handing it all over to God. It seems like as soon as I give it all over to him life starts running smoothly. I didn’t say that it was running in the same direction I would have chosen but it’s running smooth. We know that without God we are nothing, the only way to true everlasting life is through you. Through our son, with the Holy Spirit.

God, I pray for those not only reading this and living it right now, I pray for everyone in the world. I pray that you are with them and that you help them to allow you to have full control of their lives. Help us to have confidence that you know what is best for us. Help us know that you are the only way to live a blissful life. Help us to understand that you are there for us even when we are not sure if you are. We know that the teacher is always quite during the test. Therefore, when things are not going “our way” to know that you are there and it is our “job” to stay true to you. Thank you for your grace, your glory, and your greatness. Thank you. In your awesome sons name we ask all these things. Amen