Present appearances can be deceiving. There are people who may look good, respectable, discrete, and civil. Then there are others who do not look so credible. Yet, in the end, the ones who are not currently respectable may turn out to be the ones who have eternal life, whereas the ones who appear good and civil may be the ones who end up failing.

If we had looked at Solomon at the beginning of his relationship with God and then at someone thought to be a harlot (like the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with precious oil), on the surface who would we think had the better chance? Present appearances are deceiving. God says to aim for the end. "Seek first the Kingdom of God" is the unspoken directive here.

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life, when you discovered you care more about the people in your life … than they care about you? Have you ever felt that people see you more as a tool than a human being? I have. It's not a great discovery to make, but it is an opportunity for self-evaluation as well as life-evaluation. 

There have been instances in my life where I discovered I didn't mean as much to some people , as much as they meant to me. Each time I discovered that, it was a life altering experience or major change in each of our lives. I discovered those very people that wanted me to share every aspect of my life with then, didn't share every aspect of their lives with me. They wanted to withdraw more than they were depositing into my life, while expecting to earn interest. 

Every relationship we have in our lives, requires regular deposits. If you expect someone to be there for you whenever you're going through a tumultuous time in your life, you should make a sincere effort to be there for them just as much as you want them to be there for you. 

The majority of people who profess to be born-again Christians, are guilty of being self-absorbed, which is contrary to how we are to live by Christ's standard:

Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble towards one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own. The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: (Philippians 2:3-5)❤ღ❤

If you're a believer in Christ, you must remember and remind yourself.during the most emotional periods in your life that  it's not about you, you're existing to be a blessing to others. If you're a born again believer in Jesus Christ, you should  member that each time you have a tumultuous experience in your life …it's not a time to focus exclusively on yourself, it's about doing  what Jesus did for us when He experienced the most painful sacrifice for our sins as He was tortured on the cross...choose to be a blessing to others instead of seeking a blessing from them.©2014 Erika Seaborn❤ღ❤

 What is revealed is God’s anger from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth; because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them. For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities — both his eternal power and his divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse; because, although they know who God is, they do not glorify him as God or thank him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened. -Romans 1:18-21