Proverbs 30:29-31 Fearless

²⁹ “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.

Most of Agur's proverbs are lists of things. We've studied several lists so far, and I believe there are some good things for us to study in this passage, too.

Agur's list here is of four things that are "comely" or beautiful in their appearance, movements, and conduct. They are each different in the trait they are mentioned for . . .

Let's look first at the lion.
In the translation above, the lion is characterized as mighty and fearless. He has a bold and majestic walk, he fears no creature, and because he is fearless he does not turn aside from any other creature. Since he is the "king of beasts" he is an excellent illustration of boldness, fearlessness and confidence.
 
Are we bold and fearless like the lion in doing our Christian duties, regardless of opposition or threats?

The wicked flee though no one pursues,
    but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  II Timothy 1:7

Let's take as our example the Lion of Judah, our Savior!

Favorite Verses

Today I would like to do something a little different, and I hope that there will be some input from the folks who read these posts, and perhaps don't have time to comment very often.

Here is my question:  Do you have a favorite verse that you can share with us?

Some folks have what they call "life verses" that mean so much to them that they've claimed them as their guidance day-to-day.

Or you may have a verse that has meant a great deal to you in recent days or weeks.

Would you share it with us? I think this could be a real blessing to all of us, and I hope you will participate.

As for me, a dear friend pointed me to a passage that has blessed my heart recently, as I deal with struggles and pain in my life.

Isaiah 55:1, 3, 6, 8-12

  Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price

³ Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

⁶ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
¹² For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

I hope that you will take a moment to share a verse or passage with all of us.

Proverbs 30:24-28 Little things, Part VII

²⁴ “Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;
²⁶ hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
²⁷ locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Lizards.  Ever been to a pet store and seen all of the lizards and their kin? I don't find them particularly appealing, but we can certainly learn something from them . . .

When to let go!

OK, let me back up a minute . . . lizards are not too hard to catch, are they? Even as kids, we may have stalked and then captured a little lizard, cupping our hands around it and feeling the tiny feet in our palms. (If some of you are freaking out about that, please hang in there!)

Our cat loves to chase the lizards who venture onto our screened porch. They are one of the few things that really challenge him, for he moves quite quickly, even at fourteen years of age. I've noticed that sometimes he will almost catch one, and the lizard will simply let his tail (or a portion of it) detach from his body. Our Creator made them in a special way . . . they can grow another tail!

You see, they know when to let go!

A lizard is willing to "cut its losses" or let a part of his tail go, in order to achieve a larger goal -- staying alive!  We can apply this to our lives by seeing if there is something that we need to let go of, in order to move on to the next stage of our lives . . . for what our Father has planned for us.
Are we hanging on to an unhealthy relationship, that we need to let go of? Are we struggling to hold on to a bad attitude, when we know that God wants us to change?
We need to let God help us in letting the "bad stuff" go!
Why? Because God has plans for each one of us. His plans don't depend on our wisdom or abilities; He says He will supply those when they are needed.  His plans also don't depend on our gifts or talents; remember Moses? He argued with God and said, " I can't speak well." . . . and then God reminded him of Who made Moses' mouth!

We believe in God -- we must also believe in ourselves. God believes in and loves each one of us. He has chosen us, and given us gifts in times they were needed. He expects us to use those gifts for His glory.  We are to be his ambassadors . . .

“a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so
 that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9  

Let's determine today to "let go" of those things that are obstacles to being useful for Him!
 

Friday Slowdown

I thought that the lyrics to this hymn certainly fit our study this week of "little things."

It is called "Little is Much When God is in It" and was written in 1924 by Kittie Suffield.

In the harvest field now ripened
There’s a work for all to do;
Hark! the voice of God is calling
To the harvest calling you.

Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown—and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.

In the mad rush of the broad way,
In the hurry and the strife,
Tell of Jesus’ love and mercy,
Give to them the Word of Life.

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.

Are you laid aside from service,
Body worn from toil and care?
You can still be in the battle,
In the sacred place of prayer.

When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, My child—well done!”

Proverbs 30:24-28 Little things, Part VI

²⁴ “Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;
²⁶ hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
²⁷ locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Many of God's creations flock together, and they have leaders, too. Elephants, a pride of lions, a swarm of bees . . . they all have a leader that they follow.

Locusts are different. They swarm in huge numbers, but they have no king, no leader. It seems like they know their strength is in numbers!
Locust swarms can vary from one square kilometer to several hundred square kilometers. Wow!  And a large swarm of desert locusts can consume 20,000 tons of vegetation a day. That's hard to imagine.
Many years ago there were swarms of locusts on the plains of the United States. They wreaked havoc in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. They did millions of dollars worth of damage. After their attack every plant – every single plant – was reduced to a barren stalk, stripped of all leaves and buds. Families were bereft of income, and had nowhere to turn, all because of some insects.
Insects who work together and don't care who is "top dog."
Ouch. See where we are headed?
If the church unites we are a great force to be reckoned with; the more united we are as the body of Christ, the more wonderful things we can accomplish in His name!
No wonder Jesus prayed in John 17 that we may be one as He and the Father are one. We should put aside foolish differences for the sake of Jesus Christ. We should not care about who is in the spotlight, but about Who is receiving the glory.
If we concentrate on cooperation, instead of on competition, we will shake the world for our Lord.
Are we team players?

1 Cor. 12:4-6 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all people..

Proverbs 30:24-28 Little things, Part V

²⁴ “Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;
²⁶ hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
²⁷ locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

We've been studying the hyrax from verse 26, and we mentioned that they instinctively know they are not powerful or strong, so they go to the rocks for shelter and safety.
The hyrax is not ashamed to know that he needs a power greater than himself. We, too, should welcome the chance to admit that we need a Power greater than ourselves.
It's very tempting to have an "I can do it myself" attitude . . . but in reality, we need God!

Do we have a hiding place in the Father? What do we do when Satan pursues us? Do we try to go it alone? Oh, that is a recipe for failure! Do we depend on human intelligence and knowledge? Why not turn to the One who knows all?  Why not call to Him, as the psalmist did:

Psalm 61:2 “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” 

When you may travel to another city and stay in a hotel or inn there, do you look on the door of your own room, to see the fire escape plan? It is always pictured there, with a nice big arrow that shows you where you are. You can tell the evacuation route; it's the route you need to know in case there is a fire. It's not very probable that there will be a fire, but it's awfully important to know, just in case a fire breaks out. The plan needs to be in place.
Whether it is from situations or from Satan, we need to have a plan of escape, too. What is our escape? Is it in a bottle or pill bottle? Is it the television? Our friends?
Or is it our prayer closet?

Matthew 6:6 “when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” 

I'd like to challenge all of us today in our private time with our Father, to read Psalm 91, and then earnestly pray. I believe we will be changed when we are done. 

Prayer Requests

Its' time again today to join each other at God's throne, and share our prayer requests and our praises for answered prayers.
Please take a moment to leave a comment if there is something that we can pray with you about, and look over on the prayer page as well.
It is a privilege to be able to pray together, and our Father is pleased when we care for each other in this way.
Let's pray.