Friday Slowdown

    The sweet hymn we will listen to today is based on a very fundamental tenet of our faith in Christ. We may not know all of the pathway ahead, and we may not understand why the path has the obstacles that we see, but we move forward confidently, determined to trust Him, and to obey Him.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Proverbs 30:29-31 Quickness

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.

There are differing translations of the second animal in the list we are studying . . . some say a rooster, while others mention a war-horse, or a greyhound.

In any of these cases, I think we can surmise that Agur was talking about a stately and beautiful movement, but that it is characterized by quickness.
The war-horse is quick to obey his rider, and is often trained in special steps and strides to utilize in battle. In the medieval era, the horse was trained to obey pressure from the rider's legs, not just his hands on the reins. They were trained to kick behind them, to trample the enemy, and many more movements that needed to be quick in order to be effective.
The rooster is quick to "strut his stuff" at the least provocation -- whether to impress the hens or to intimidate an opponent. He has a whole vocabulary of movements that are easily "read" by the hen or rooster who views them.
And the greyhound is quick and lithe, able to hunt by speed and pursuit. The greyhound's long legs and compact muscles are combined with keen eyesight -- they can see small animals bounding about a half mile in front of them!

Are we quick to follow the commandments of our Lord? Are we quick to do His will?

I will hasten and not delay
    to obey your commands.  Psalm 119:60

And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us...." Exodus 34:8-9a

Let us be quick to learn and to do His will!

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..