Listen

Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

Listening to God is the smartest thing any of us can do. When we listen it saves us from problems. When we listen it resolves problem. Take some time today and listen to God.

Friendship

Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. (New King James Version)

Proverbs 27:6You can trust a friend who corrects you, but kisses from an enemy are nothing but lies. (Contemporary English Version)

I would add prized is a friend who is willing to suffer pain in order to correct you. We all make mistakes in friendships. Sometimes it's hard to know how to correct those mistakes. What's worse is when you feel bad for the mistakes that you've made, but see no way to fix the relationship. How can you be friends with someone who won't even recognize the ways that they've hurt you? It can be a difficult road to walk down and I still don't know the answer, but I trust God to work this problem out, whether that means providing new friends or restoring old ones.

Who will you serve?

It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:4

His name is above every other name. As we honour Him then He will honour us.

Joshua 24:15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Prayer

Written by GH. aka. Space

"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you;"
- I Samuel 12:23a NKJV

One thing that Jesus promises us is...that He will make intercession on behalf of the saints. ( Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews:7:25 KJV ) If you want to be like Jesus...part of that is to pray for others. Intercession is the essence of the life of Christ in His disciples.
This is how I see it: God brings people into our lives. This is certainly no accident. Thinking about them does little. Praying for them does much. I will even say... God is going to bring someone to your mind today. What are you going to do? Think of them or pray for them?
The greatest power that God has given us as individuals is the power of prayer. It is invaluable* to have others who pray for us. When people pray; God looses power in answers to those prayers.
I say to you plainly: You can read your Bible and go to church, but if you really want to grow...Pray. If you really want to war in the heavenlies...PRAY! Prayer is the greatest of all forces, because it honors God and brings Him into active aid on behalf of men. It advances the Kingdom of God on earth.
I have found that when I was a new Christian...I read and I studied and I hung around other Christians, etc. But the more I matured; the more I see that God is calling His people to pray. Don't declare your independence from God through prayerlessness. Be men and women of prayer!
I will close with this quote from Pastor Barry Cook for you to ponder( It's a very pointed thought! ) "If prayer is not your priority, then everything else you do is idolatry. Prayer is the work of the ministry ."

* Invaluable: valuable beyond estimation: Priceless (having a value beyond any price)

Knowledge and Choice

And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
1 Chronicles 28:9

God knows the reasons behind everything you do even if you are not aware of them. God knows your very depths and yet He leaves the choice up to us. We are the ones who either reject Him or choose Him. God's choice is in response to ours.

Keeping Praying and Seeking

"Keep asking for something to be given and it shall be given you. Keep on seeking, and you shall find. Keep on reverently knocking, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that keeps on asking for something to be given, keeps receiving. And he who keeps on seeking keeps on finding. And to him who keeps on reverently knocking, it shall be opened."-- The New Testament- An Expanded Translation - Wuest

"Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
-- Matthew 7:7 - 8 Holman Translation

This reminds me of when I was younger and I would go to the dentist and there would be a treasure chest that I could pick something out of. Each time I went to the denist I got to pick something out of it. And each time I looked there was something I wanted. If I had never looked then I never would have received.
It also reminds me of how Beck likes to take my fruit when I have some....wait...she never asks...ok, so the asking is implied because we get each other, but it's not like I say she can't have any. Cuz I know if I did then she would totally respect that. And she only takes my fruit when I'm ok with it....See, we get each other.