Do You Know The Baby Who Slept in the First King Size Bed?

If the writer of Proverbs 30:24 wrote his words of wisdom today, I think he would’ve included a 5th thing.

He tells of 4 seemingly insignificant creatures that are small, but unusually wise: the ant, rock rabbit, locust & lizard.

I find it fascinating that the last 2 reference kings.

👉🏽Locusts have no king, but act like an army who is following one

👉🏽Lizards are easy to catch, but can be found in kings’ palaces 😂

It makes a perfect segue for the possible 5th:

“The Baby Who slept in the first King size bed.”

William Booth once said that the greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.

Jesus, the King of kings, surrendered His royal robes to be born in a broken world for the sake of saving it.

He was born in the very area where shepherds raised the holy, sacrificial lambs, lambs slaughtered to atone for sins.

The significance is mind blowing! The shepherds would inspect the lambs to find ones without spot or blemish. Then they’d often swaddle them with cloth & place them in a manger for safe keeping 👉🏽 only so they could later be sacrificed for sins they didn’t commit!

I mean, come on! The ultimate, once & for all sacrificial Lamb was born in the VERY realm were ALL sacrificial lambs were raised! Then He was swaddled in cloth & placed in a manger for safe keeping until the day came for Him to die sinless for our sins! Upon His death & resurrection, NO MORE LAMBS WERE NEEDED!💯

Can the significance be any greater? Our Savior surrendered His divine power to be born in a stinkin stable & become the last sacrificial Lamb Who would conquer death so that we might too!

This little Baby sleeping in the first King size bed, would make the blind see, the deaf hear & the dead to live again! “The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb!”

(Lyrics from “Mary Did You Know”)

Oh Father, let us not miss the significance of the manger scenes that surround us this time of year! May they be a visible reminder of the baby that slept in the first King size bed-our sacrificial & sinless Lamb who died to pay the price for us! Draw us near to know The One who conquered death so we might spend eternity in heaven!

#OneYearBible

December 24th One Year Bible Readings

💡ZECHARIAH 6:1-7:14

💡REVELATION 15:1-8

💡PSALM 143:1-12

💡PROVERBS 30:24-28

Reminder: A Day of Learning IS a Day of Accomplishment

I planned a “desk day” yesterday-a day of limited meetings so I could knock out the inordinate amount of emails in my inbox & finally close the 20+tabs that sit open in safari waiting for me to take action.😬

An unscheduled meeting crept into the mix & I found myself in spreadsheets & policies up to my eyeballs! My insides felt like I was on a bucking bronco trying to stay upright & understand! I actually bit my cheek so I wouldn’t cry in front of my new boss 😳

Alas, I ended the day with tabs still open, my inbox down by 8 & a heart feeling frustrated by the lack of seeming  accomplishment.

I raced across Atlanta traffic making phone calls to delegate tasks & landed in the salon chair literally with a minute to spare. As my young friend put the cape around my neck, she randomly said, “It’s ok, just breathe...” My eyes immediately overflowed with tears.

They leak again as I type because she didn’t know the state of my heart, but the Holy Spirit in her did. Sometimes we need a gentle reminder to breathe in the depths of His Presence.

This morning as I read about Zechariah’s visions, the Lord reminds the prophet of this.

“It is not by force nor by strength but my Spirit...Do not despise these small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Sometimes it’s hard to be ok with slow, steady & small progress, right?

There will always be a plethora of new things to learn but I wonder if it might be easier if we relied less on our own strength & more on the Spirit within?

I also wonder if life would carry less pressure if we didn’t despise slow & small beginnings?

Sometimes a day of learning IS a day of accomplishment even though no tangible tasks have been ticked off the to-do list!

Father, we thank you for the things that tempt us to breathe shallow or even to hold our breath. They are tangible, physical reminders that we need You. Let every exhale of our breath become a release of any heavy burden You don’t intend for us to carry. Remind us that a day of learning to rely on You is indeed a day of accomplishment!  Help us to lean into Your Spirit for strength & give us eyes to see & appreciate slow & small beginnings!

#OneYearBible

December 23rd One Year Bible Readings

💡ZECHARIAH 4:1-5:11

💡REVELATION 14:1-20

💡PSALM 142:1-7

💡PROVERBS 30:21-2

Surround Yourself with People Who Will Pray Behind Your Back

Have you ever been in conversation with someone & it suddenly dawns on you that they’ve been talking to others ABOUT you instead of talking TO you? That revelation can sting because it makes you wonder who you can trust.

I saw a quote this week that made me smile:

Surround yourself with people who will pray behind your back.

It’s so refreshing, right? It made me think:

Rather than being concerned with who is talking about me to others, have I intentionally surrounded myself with people who will talk ABOUT me & FOR me TO God?

Who are my people that are sensitive enough to the Spirit realm that they will pray behind my back EVEN BEFORE I ask?

Today as I read David’s call to God, begging Him to hurry with His rescue plan, I wondered who might have been beside David as he prayed? His best friend Jonathan died in battle, so maybe some of David’s warriors filled the bestie shoes?

Of the 37 men who David mention by name, he proclaimed 3 of them as the mightiest! What’s fascinating is the meaning of their names:

👉🏽Josheb-basshebeth=>Sitting in the Counsel - he alone fought with a spear against 800 men & won!

👉🏽Eleazar=>God is my Helper - he founght so long that his sword stuck to his hand, winning the battle alone even after all others deserted!

👉🏽Shammah=> God Has Heard -he was David’s older brother who singlehandedly fought the Philistines & won!

Just like King David, I have 3 mighty warriors in my life. They have different names, but they consistently fulfill the meaning of David’s bravest!

God ministers through them to act as my counsel, He helps me through their wisdom & presence, & He hears their prayers sent like arrows before His throne on my behalf.

Who do you turn to when the seas of life get rough? 

Y’all, we are not meant to do life alone. It is easy to default to “Git er done” mode instead of reaching out to friends who will battle in the heavenlies on our behalf!

God IS our everything AND Jesus reminded us of our need for the Body of believers. You have a part & I have a part, but nobody has all the parts. Who have you invited to be a part of your life who, without hesitation, will battle for you in prayer behind your back?💞

#OneYearBible #prayer

December 22nd One Year Bible Readings

💡ZECHARIAH 2:1-3:10

💡REVELATION 13:1-18

💡PSALM 141:1-10

💡PROVERBS 30:18-20