The key to true beauty

If you are a girl reading this, then you are going to know exactly what I am talking about......We spend hours making sure we have that "perfect" outfit....the most adorable shoes. Hairstyles, we have those down to a tea. We will do just about anything to make sure that we look beautiful. Once we feel we have achieved that goal....we take one look in the mirror and squeal in horror as we see once again...the image we have in our head doesn't match what we see in the mirror. Why is this?????? Is it because there is something wrong with us? No, it's because we have yet to "put on" the key to true beauty.

"What is this "key?" you might ask. Here let me show you......

The Bible says in Psalms 147:1 "Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely."

Now, if you are like me.....you are thinking "What does comely mean?"
Comely means beautiful....

There you have it. The key to true beauty is praise! When I read this verse in Psalms, it just blew my mind! It was like a light went off in my head! True beauty, as we have all heard, comes from the inside. Now, I have often wondered...."How do you make your insides beautiful?" I mean, I could run around and help everyone in need, hug a few babies, and scream "peace on earth," but that doesn't make me a beautiful person on the inside.

Only when we have Jesus Christ living on the inside of us and a heart full of praise to HIM can we be truly beautiful. I know what you're thinking......"Does this mean that I have to walk around with my hands folded singing "How Great Thou Art" in a prayerful manner all the time?" haha No, but when you live a life of praise...you suddenly see things in a different manner. You have more joy in your life, the love and light of Jesus starts to radiate out of you.....people notice a change, and you don't mind talking about the ONE that changed you! You learn to love people, instead of seeing them as mess-ups...you see them as messes Jesus is just waiting to clean-up! A life of praise is a life devoted to the Master. It takes time and commitment. But, it is so worth every minute of it!

Lord, help me to "put on" the key to true beauty, and help my life to become a life of praise to you!

"Because No One Cared About My Soul"

Psalms 142:4 "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul." KJV

As I was doing my nightly Bible reading I read this verse. I have read this verse many times before, but tonight it kind of jumped out and grabbed me.
As I read and reread over it, another verse came to my mind.

Ezekiel 22:30 "And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none." KJV

As I sit at the computer and try my best to think of something profound to say, something that will bring you to your knees in tears.....I find nothing. Maybe it's because the burden for the country God has placed in my heart is too heavy. But, maybe just maybe these verse are self-explanatory. All I know is this: after sitting here for what feels like hours this is what I have to say..........there is a world out there dying lost because "No one cared about their soul."

Here are a few statistics I would like to share with you about the country we are appointed to.

The Central African Republic:

Indigenous Beliefs 35%
Protestant 25%
Roman Catholic 25%
Muslim 15%
(Animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority.)

"I won't delay
I won't hesitate
I will obey your call
And abandon all to see
The power of God
Your glory revealed
My nation healed"