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It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth. She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6'7 WEB.

The greatest gift God ever gave mankind spent His first hours laying in a feeding trough for animals. Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in strips of cloth herself which meant it was a lonely birth without others to help her. There was no room for them at the inn. It was a picture of poverty, obscurity, and rejection. The greatest event in history went almost unnoticed by those around it.

God is so secure in Himself that He doesn't need to impress anyone. His word makes it clear that the pride of a man makes him blind to all that God has for him. The wisdom of man is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:19). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you (James 4:10). God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

How many times have we missed what God has for us because we felt that it was beneath us? Looking back over my life, I can see God provided me with the greatest opportunities wrapped in a humble, plain-looking, brown paper wrap. It looked beneath me, and my flesh wanted to complain and tell the people how important I really was.

Once after being laid off from a high-paying job (for me) as a supervisor, I ended up drawing unemployment and couldn't find another job anywhere. I searched for work every day, then spent time alone fishing and listening to an audio Bible on the Waccamaw River. During the last week of my unemployment, I was fishing and had caught nothing all day when I stopped and prayed earnestly, "Lord, I need a job. Anything, just open a door. But please let me be able to continue to listen to Your word while I work." Soon after praying this, I caught the biggest bass I had ever caught in my life. It was on the last cast of my last fishing trip that year.

When I got home, a temp service had called and said that they had an opening at "Miracle Finishing" for a brass polisher. They wanted me to come and talk to the manager. So the following day, I pulled up in my shiny Toyota Supra, wearing a black leather jacket and shades, only to find a loud, dirty hole in the wall, housed in a hundred-year-old brick building. All the employees there except the manager were temps, addicts, and nearly homeless. It was skid row, and they were all living for the next payday.

It was extremely hot in August, and giant ghetto blasters roared above the already deafening machines in the dimly lit building. Car-sized belt sanders ran with no guards in place and could cut off limbs if you bumped into them. Sometimes the buffing machine would snatch the part away, spin it up, then fire it back at you like a canon and knock you down. People smoked pot at the machines, and those noticed joined them. The manager came in hungover every day of his life. Everyone there was just living for another Friday to come. It was a dirty, dark place, and everyone was covered in black buffing compound from the machines. The job paid a third of what my last job had. Everything in my flesh screamed, "There is no way this is God's plan for me!"

When I walked up to the manager that morning, the first thing he said to me was: "Are you ready to start? Better bring something to listen to, as it can get really boring in here." At that moment, the Holy Spirit brought my prayer back to remembrance and said: "This is what you asked Me for." Through clenched lips, I told the manager, "Yep."

The turnover rate was infinite because most people didn't last a week. Many left before their first lunch break. But I knew it was God's will for me to be there, though it was still hard to keep my pride under control. "I deserve better than this" was always inviting me to think about it.

I mentally made it into a game of working directly for God Himself, and I became a model employee. Bright, shining, always early, my workspace was the cleanest in the building. I went home each day as black as smut from the buffing compounds, and my skin began to take on a greenish tint from the brass dust. My brother would stop by now and then and ask me, "Dion, what in the world are you doing here?" And I would tell him, "This is where God wants me at the moment."

I fasted as much as I ate, listened to the Bible all day, and prayed in the spirit while polishing plumbing parts. I started out polishing 300 parts a day but was soon running 7,500. It was a mindless task of repetition, but it allowed me to listen to the Bible all day on my headphones and meditate on scripture while working. I began to love it.

One day I suddenly felt oil being poured over my head while at the buffing machine. I spun around, thinking that someone was pulling a prank on me, but there was no one there. The Lord had anointed me for something new. It was a turning point in my life, and things began to change around me. I had lost over thirty pounds from the heat, fasting, sweating, and hard work, but my spirit grew stronger and stronger.

When I humbled myself and followed the path that the Lord revealed to me, He raised me up quickly. I went straight to the top and became the manager of the brass plant. Then the plant merged with another, and He pushed me into my own computer business for the next decade.

Many years later, when God began to shut my computer business down, and I was unemployed again, I showed up for a church workday event. The only job left was to scrub all the bathrooms and toilets. No one had volunteered to do that one. I sensed that God was setting me up for something, so I did it wholeheartedly as if I were working for the Lord. I left those bathrooms sparkling clean behind me. The Lord pushed me into full-time ministry as a pastor about a month later.

One would easily avoid these humble doors, but it was His path for me. I can honestly say that the humble door hides a great future. So many will pass it by while waiting for that great management position to open they so deserve. Be watchful and guard your mind. Learn that when your flesh begins to squeal, God is moving.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I seek Your path for me. Please let me see through Your eyes and fulfill Your every desire in my life. I yield to You and pray that You guide my every step. I want what You have in store for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.' (Philippians 4:6-7) ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network

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