“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land,” Deuteronomy 15:11.

People have regularly used the local slang: “This world no balance,” especially when expressing certain experiences in life. The wild difference between the rich and the poor, the rich keep acquiring wealth and storing it for its 10th generation, while the poor is becoming very poor that his present is uncertain. In life help is inclusive.

No one is beyond helping. There will always be a time in everyone’s life when he or she would need some kind of help. It may be emotional, physical, spiritual, academicals, social, or otherwise. Money, wealth, prosperity, fame, position, connection and experience are very important elements that facilitate help. I came across a book during my secondary school days that reads: “The rich also cry.” Help is not only needed by the downtrodden, but even the high and mighty; might at a certain time in life be in dare need of help. The irony of help is that sometimes what you have or who you are may not shade you from being in the need of help. This is so because the wealth of a billionaire does not stop him from having medical challenges, neither does the poverty of the wretch excludes him from marital crises.

The story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:17-27 is a great lesson in making ourselves ready to receiving help either from God or man.

17: “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.18: And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. 19: And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 20: And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21: And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever. 22: And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23: For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24: And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

25: And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. 26: And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The Valley of Berachah, unto this day. 27: Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

Everyone at a time in life will need assistance. Sometimes the assistance may be physical or spiritual. In Romans 14:7, the Apostle Paul said: “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”

As we sojourn in this earthly pilgrimage, we all will be in need of one kind of help or the other.

• In the past, there must have been a time that we have been in need of something from someone.
• In the present, we may be in need of something from someone no matter how comfortable we may claim to be.
• In the future, we will certainly need someone for something.

This is the reason we must be open-minded and be willing to be a tool in helping someone. Help is important in life; and to be in need of help is not a mark of weakness. Not getting help when needed does not portray a curse.

Few Things We Must Know When Seeking For Assistance

• It is painful when you seek help and can’t find it.
• It is more painful when those whom you help or assist turn against you.
• It is frustrating when those who are in position to help you plainly demonstrate to you that they won’t help you.
• It is depressing when those who gave you ray of hope for help disappoints you, especially at the dying minute.
Hear This!

Most times we judge people wrongly. People, when relating with others or seeking for help in most cases draw conclusion based on looks, position or past glory; whereas such people are living below poverty level or are indebted. Today many things can be covered with looks, personality, past glory, position, environment, while the unnoticed truth is that the individual is sick and dying within. This is the area man is mentally deceived by assumption.

Looks can be very deceptive. I acknowledge that there are ways looks can help one navigate the challenges of life.

• Looks can grant or hinder human access.
• How one looks can impact relationship. Appearance matters a lot in relationship. This is so because ‘man assess you by appearance.’ In 1Samuel 16:7; Samuel nearly rejected a man because of his looks, height and grooming. Ask yourself, “if not for divine intervention, the said man could have lost his God-ordained position. Today, how many persons truly hear from God? Therefore, take your appearance seriously. No man can see your heart, but they will certainly see your appearance – begin with what they can see for what they cannot see is reserved for God and God alone.

What you look like gives you the name they will call you and earns you the chair you will seat before others.

Prov. 31:30 says: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Our focus is on ‘how the world sees us’ – your look can actually act as a charm on people – Yes! Take your look serious; not with the intention to deceive, but be positive about it. You may be good inside, if your looks contradict your inside, someone may be deceived into thinking you are bad. Your look introduces you more than anything on earth. Every other thing comes later. Your first impression leaves marks in the mind of the people you interface with. Looks say something like – look at him or her – that is what he/she is like.

Peter emphasised the importance of inner beauty without dismissing the outward beauty (1Peter 3:3-4). The inner beauty is very important as it can help to retain the already built mindset.

• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)

If you look beautiful outside and ugly inside, it will be a tragedy of presentation, let your inner beauty retain your acceptability (See Matt. 23:28, Read cf. Prov. 11:22).

The importance of how we look made God to warn the Israelites in Leviticus 19:28ff not to put cuts on their body or paint or tattoo.

Therefore, beware that your looks to certain degree attract some kind of people into your life:
• Those who will hurt you.
• Those who will help you.
• Those who will heal you.
• Those who will hate you.
• Those who will honour you.
• Those who will humble you.
• Those who will be hostile to you.
Beware of your look.

This also suggests that your kind of look may attract certain kinds of people around you. Check those around you, check your look.

If God will help us as He would, we should be mindful of preparation. There is need to be ready for the future. God said to Noah: ‘Build an ark’ in other word, ‘Prepare for my visitation.’ The ark was like the ‘look’ that saved Noah and his family. Be prepared – be ready!
What You Eat Affects Your Appearance
Daniel 1:13-15; the two factors you must consider here are:

• Habit as a life-style.
• Habit as a choice of food.

Your habit can make you look like a horse and you can run like one (Joel 2:4) and in Ezekiel 1:28 in describing the Lord’s appearance said it is like a rainbow on a rainy day. Something very beautiful; remember we are made like God. If God’s appearance is attractive, we should be as He is (Eph. 2:10).
Note This:

There is a difference between outward appearances and physical appearances. Outward appearance is looking to gain acceptance by others, which leads to pride; it is to impress others.

Physical appearance means how you look physically. When people see you what image do you create about yourself? How do you look? The world system places emphasis on this to the extent of abuse and disfigure, but Christian should not be mindful of this. (1Peter 3:3-41, Isaiah 61:10, Rev. 21:2, Ezek. 16:11-12).

Conclusively, whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1Peter 3:3-4).

• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)