A Little Thing Becomes a Big Thing

O. T. #885  "A Little Thing Becomes a Big Thing"
Dec. 13, 2016
1 Chronicles 3
And thou Bethlehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.  Micah 5:2

LET IT GLOW

Whoa there! This chapter jumps to listing King David's sons and skips a few years. I don't want to skip over them. We can see the hand of God working in David's life and a few life lessons for us if we don't overlook them:

• God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives. David was born the youngest of 8 sons and 2 daughters of Jesse. (Why does our society look down on large families? My mother was the last of 6 children, while my father was the second of 6 children. Also, our daughter as 6 children. I wouldn't send any back.)
• God can train us in solitude, obscurity, monotony, and reality of life. Although we may be unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded in our simple job, God can use it to train us for something of significance in kingdom work. Little David in the fields was a faithful  shepherd of sheep who became acquainted with the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. 
• Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. He is looking for spirituality, integrity, and humility in His servants.  God saw David's heart and heard his songs of praise among the hills. He was a man after God's own heart. David stayed close to God and knew what was on God's heart.
• God can take an ordinary day and change it into an extraordinary day in our life. David was  anointed as God's chosen king over Israel, His chosen nation. But, it was not time for him to take the throne from Saul, which happened about 15 years later, so he returned to the sheep. He had some training for David.
• Be faithful in the little things. Whatever we do, do it for the glory of God.
• God's solutions are often strange and simple, so be open. David was given strength and faith to kill lions and bears as he protected his sheep. He would soon be a strong warrior and faithfully trusting his God to bring down a giant Philistine.
• The battle is the Lord's! David recognized that Goliath the Philistine giant was mocking God. David turned over his weapons, skills, fears, worries, and confusion over to God. He can handle anything, as was demonstrated when David killed a 7 foot giant.
• God's promotions are usually sudden and surprising, so be ready. David was taken to the palace to be a musician for King Saul, but would one day live in the palace.
• God's selections are always sovereign and sure, so be sensitive. When God wants to use us, He may have to move us. Being a nobody in a field became a somebody over a kingdom that everyone noticed-King David.
• Let God open the doors. David became Saul's armor bearer. and later a great warrior.

A little baby was born to an insignificant family one night in a manger and in an obscure town. That baby became a Savior and Messiah named Christ the LORD, who was born in Bethlehem, foretold by the prophets. He did such a thing in order to live a perfect life and to die on a cross to be our substitutionary sacrifice for us and our sins. Such unconditional love He bestowed upon us.

Now that was what I call a little thing that became a big thing.

[Resource: David, A Story of Passion and Destiny written by Charles R. Swindoll]

LET IT GROW

Another aspect of David's life we can earn from as to with his friends:

• We need an intimate friend to walk with us through the valleys of life. David developed that close intimate friend in Jonathan.
• A intimate friend is willing to sacrifice. Jonathan gave his robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt of a prince.
• An intimate friend is a loyal defense before others. Jonathan defended David from his own father who tried to kill David.
• Intimate friends give each other complete freedom to be themselves. A good friend hurts, weeps, and listens when you need it, as Jonathan did.
• An intimate friend is a constant source of encouragement. Jonathan's father, Saul, was a hit man after David, his best friend. Satan is always pursuing our friends to destroy and discourage them. God used people in David's life, such as Jonathan, Abigail, Samuel, 400 misfits that were fellow cave dwellers. Those distressed and degenerate men became mighty men of valor and David's cabinet when he became king.
• David's bad decisions are not mentioned here-sin with Bathsheba and their son died, moving the Ark of God on a cart instead of the shoulders of the Levites resulted in death of a man, a king's pride cost 70,000 lives, having multiple wives that destroyed his family.
• God can take a nobody, love then with an unconditional love available for anybody and everybody, and change them into a somebody.

LET IT GO

                                ...of conditional love and share God's unconditional love with others.

                                ... of loneliness and become an intimate friend of encouragement to those in need.

                                 ... of my being a nobody and let God develop me into a somebody for His glory.