Lying Lions

O. T. #1144  "Lying Lions"
Jan. 31, 2018
Job 20

LET IT GLOW

What cuts deeper than a knife or sword? The human tongue does. It can cause more damage and heartache than anything else. Whispers. Lies. It can be thrust into a family and destroy it in a day. So are the effects when lies attack churches, businesses, and governments. They are sliced into pieces and brought down, some destroyed. False accusations are painful. It takes courage to stand against them dirty liars. I call them lying lions. They roar lies to scare, attack, and destroy the good.

The Scriptures reveal false accusations against innocent people. Here are some who fell victim to damaging words:

• Joseph was at the height of his career in Egypt when falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. he ended up in prison. Yet, God reestablished Joseph to the position of second in command in order to save God's people.
• Moses was 80 years old when he faced Pharoah in Egypt, then led the Hebrews out of slavery, into the wilderness. The very people he delivered turned on Moses, accusing him falsely of leading them into the wilderness to die. Moses had obeyed God.
• David the giant killer, was falsely accused of trying to dethrone King Saul by the jealous king himself. For a dozen years David ran for his life undeserving such treatment. God rewarded David for his faithfulness by making him king over Israel.
• Peter and John were accused of preaching a false Christ of which they received beatings. God used them to spread the truth as thousands were saved.

Job continued to stand against the false accusations of his friends, proclaiming his innocence. We know it was true that sin did not bring on Job's sufferings.

Will we stand against lying lions when we know the truth? When we are doing God's will, are we willing to suffer?

LET IT GROW

Zophar sees Job as wicked. He considers it his responsibility to inform Job that he has not long in this world. Job has been accused of keeping his sin secret while others thought he was righteous. (Of course, God knew Job was righteous. We found that out in the first few chapters.) Zophar accused Job of taking advantage of others unfairly, exploited the poor with his riches.

Zopha's harsh tongue did not soften as he gave three messages to Job:

1. He wants Job to understand the wicked do not live long. (verses 4-11)
2. The pleasures of the wicked are temporal. (verses 12-19)
3. God's judgment falls hard on the wicked. (verses 20-29) (Swindoll)

This is the last we hear of dear friend Zophar. Good riddance to him! His same words and accusations continue today.
False accusations hurt. Words do hurt. They can tear us apart like a sword in the gut. Like a knife sticking in our heart, they make us bleed emotionally. But they are not the final word. Jesus has the final word. He knows the truth. His love is like healing salve to our wounds. His tender mercies are new every morning. Grace, grace, God's grace is greater than all our sin. Our Redeemer lives, so let Him renew us.

LET IT GO

Praise to the King of kings.
Be assured, He knows the truth.
Beware of the lying lions.
Be prepared to stand against them with Jesus.

Does Your Redeemer Live?

O. T. #1143  "Does Your Redeemer Live?
Jan. 30, 2018
Job 19

LET IT GLOW

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God. I will see Him for myself. Yes, I will see Him with mine own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
Job 19:25-27 NLT

Israel did not have a well-developed doctrine of resurrection when this was written. In the end, God would be on his side, Job believed. Job became one of the first to speak about the resurrection of the body. It is the first mention in the Bible.

Redeemer, ga'al (gaw-al') in Hebrew, means to be the next of kin (such as to buy back a relative's property, marry his widow).

David mentions Redeemer in the Psalms, Isaiah in his book, and Jeremiah in his. (Ps. 19:14, Is. 49:7, Jeremiah 50:34)
We recall Boaz being Ruth's kinsman redeemer. After Ruth's husband was dead, and Boaz was the next of kin after the first one declined taking Ruth.

Jesus is our Redeemer.
Romans 3:23-24 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Can those around us say, "I know my Redeemer lives?"

LET IT GROW

This is the second time Job replied to Bildad.

Again, Job reproved his friends for their uncomprehending attitude and maintaining his innocence. Job does not distinguish between God's permissive will and His direct, active will. Job has not also taken seriously the possibility that Satan is real and active in human affairs; he does not mention the Adversary once , either directly or indirectly. The Adversary depicted in the inspired Word of God is a created being of limited power.  (Falwell)

In verse 21, Job asks his friends to: Have pity upon me, for the hand of God hath touched me.
In his limited perspective, Job is convinced that he was struck by the hand of God. However, the opening chapters of this book show differently.

Has the hand of God touched you?

LET IT GO

I know my Redeemer lives!
Be ready if this is the day I see my God.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your redemption, grace, and justification.



 

Grace to Endure

O. T. #1142  "Grace to Endure"
Jan 29, 2018
Job 18

LET IT GLOW

Here's the second round for Bildad. He sees this whole thing as a wearisome repetitious group of monotonous words. Clearly, the man is no longer interested in Job's pain. He's only interested in Job's shutting up and admitting that he's sinful. Period. (Swindoll)

But Job has no need to repent, for he had done nothing wrong to merit his situation. In Bildad's theology, a person is blessed with prosperity and good health when they are in God's will. On the other hand, if you are suffering, then you're out of God's will. This meant God wanted everybody well since He is sovereign and all powerful. But this is a flawed theology. If God wanted everybody well, they would be well. After all, he is God.

We understand that God does all things according to His purposes. He allows sickness, permits pain, even tests us. After all, He is in charge. We are not. If we pray for someone's healing, and it doesn't come, we shouldn't conclude that it is their fault. God doesn't want everyone well, for reasons only known to Him, sometimes. Maybe it takes a stroke, a disease, a loss of job, a loss of spouse to get one to turn to God in his time of need.

Do Job's friends think that if they press the issue long and hard enough, Job will finally admit his sin? Would Job be wondering by this time how he could shut up these guys?
I'm beginning to understand why we speak of the patience of Job. I thought it referred to his enduring the illness, and losses, but maybe it was his patience with his friends. He didn't kick dirt in their face and yell at them to leave.
I wouldn't have endured as long as Job did, listening to the second round of accusations in their long speeches. The first round would have been enough for me. How about you?

LET IT GROW

Paul encountered a thorn in the flesh for a while. He prayed, asking God to remove it 3 times. Did God remove it? No. Look at what Paul heard in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.
Then Paul said, Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

MacArthur writes that the present tense of the verb "is sufficient" reveals the constant availability of divine grace. God would continually supply Paul with grace to endure it.

I see people with a health problem, a disability, a situation that has continued for years in their life. They endure, make the adjustments required, continue on living for the glory of God. A couple of woman come to my mind.
Jennifer Rothschild made it through the questions of her loss of eye sight as a teenager. Joni Eareckson Tada has adjusted to being a quadriplegic in a wheelchair for more than three decades.
These ladies accepted God's will for a different life than they would have chosen. Yet their witness of faith in God is so strong and encouraging to us all. The key was surrendering to whatever God's plan was for them. If Jennifer had complete eyesight and Joni could walk, would they have the same effective ministry as they have had throughout their lifetime?

Paul was willing to accept the mystery of God's will in leaving him with the affliction after he had urgently prayed for relief three times! (Swindoll)

The weaker the person, the more they depend upon God's grace to endure.
Is Job there in this part of his life? I don't think so. So far, he is just defending himself, declaring innocence.

What about your situation, dear one? Are you in need of some divine grace to endure whatever you are going through? His supply is always available and continues to flow.

LET IT GO

Submit and accept God's will for my infirmities.
Depend upon His divine grace to get me through life with it.
Give God the glory for His strength to carry on.

Where is Your Hope?

O. T. #1141  "Where is Your Hope?"Jan. 26, 2017
Job 17

LET IT GLOW

My days are over.
My hopes have disappeared.
My heart's desires are broken.
Where then is my hope?
Can anyone find it? (verses 11 and 15, NLT)

Can anyone find Job's hope? It has disappeared and broken. What about yours? Has you hope disappeared? I tell you, right now you can find it today. Read on dear one to find your hope.

The meaning of hope, used in verse 15 and in the Hebrew language, means a cord, as an attachment; expectancy; thing that I long for.

Someone throw Job a rope before he falls off the cliff. Throw him a lifesaver before he drowns. Lasso him and bring him back to the corral.
In what is Job's expectancy? What is the thing he longs for?

We have read the word hope ten times before this chapter, which have other meanings than above:

• Eliphaz said it in 3:6, Is not this fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
• Again in 5:16, So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
• Job answered Eliphaz in 6:11a, What is my strength that I should hope?
• Again in 7:6, My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.
• Bildad said in 8:13-14, So the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish; Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.
• Zophar said in 11:18a,20, And thou shalt be secure because there is hope. But the eyes of the wicked shall fall, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
• Job speaks to God, in 14:7.19, There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. The water wears the stone: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

In what is your hope, friend? What is the thing for which you long?

LET IT GROW

Here are a few of the many passages using the word hope in the New Testament:

• Paul told the Pharisees and Sadducees, in Acts 22:6, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
• Romans 8:24, Paul said, For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
• Romans 15:13, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
• Ephesians 1:18, The eyes of your understanding be enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
• Ephesians 4:4, There is one body, and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
• 1 Peter 1:21, Paul speaks of Christ, Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope be in God.

We can't see hope. We can't see Jesus or God, but we can place our hope in Them. He is the God of hope. We can receive all joy and peace as we believe in Him. He is the hope of our calling-Christian.
Is your faith and hope in God or something else? Other things pass away, but our God lives forever. Likewise, we will live forever.
So if you can't find your hope today, ask Jesus to help you find it. Ask Jesus to be your hope.

LET IT GO

Place my hope in Christ, the resurrected King and Savior.
Hold onto my hope in Jesus.
Keep my faith and hope in God.

Bearing Burdens

O. T. #1140  "Bearing Burdens"
Jan. 25, 2018
Job 16

LET IT GLOW

I don't know about you, but I for one am ready to get this book study over with. Move onto soothing Psalms. Want to know why I say that? It's as though God gives me situations so I better understand what is going on in the Scriptures. So I can relate to what the main character is going through, learn from them. Okay, but can I just skip the suffering part and get to the lessons? Anyone with me? It's as though when I learn a Biblical principle, then I am tested and given a chance to apply it in my life personally. Whew!

Here's the deal. For a few years I have had a back problem. I thought it was due to my scoliosis or my having lowered a heavy table by myself, pulling a muscle. This pain has been going on for 2-3 years now, only off and on. It has been only the last few months that the pain becomes intense, interrupts a goodnight sleep, throbs when I am typing on my computer, picking up a laundry basket of clothes. you get the picture.
Finally, I mentioned it to my doctors, who identified the bulge as a lipoma, a fatty tumor, on my spine. I had an ultrasound, then an MRI. Finally, I was sent to surgeon, who confirmed the diagnosis and scheduled removal on February 16.
Yeah, I will finally get rid of this burden I'm carrying around on my back. (Hubby has been good to give me a neck and should rub when requested, for relief.) But you know, even though my pain is too constant, it does not compare one iota to that which Job had endured. I know I will soon get rid of my burden, but Job did not. The bad part for him was not only suffering physically with boils, he had many losses to deal with, too-children, servants, a way to make a living, wealth, community position.

Now that I got that off my chest, shall we look at chapter 16? This is Job's fifth speech-to Eliphaz, Bibdad, Zophar, God.
Job's responses were that of:

• disgust; He described his friends as "sorry comforters." Their words were misjudging, incorrect reasoning, and harsh.
• distress; God was very silent and apparently absent.
• depressed; Job hit rock bottom, with the grave inviting for relief.
• despondent; Hope was missing, and no one was there to reassure Job. (Swindoll)

Man, this guy has certain been run through the ringer. Makes my problem seem like a hangnail.
This poor guy needs a dose of grace. God can give him answers if Job will just keep his faith strong in God.

LET IT GROW

What else has happened to Job? He explains:

• people laugh at Job,
• show him contempt,
• God handed him over to the wicked,
• he's broken him into pieces,
• his pride lies in the dust,
• his eyes are red from weeping with dark circles around them,
• friends scorn him.

Job says he had done no wrong and his prayer is pure. (verse 17)

Here's Job's solution that he sees:

• His witness is in heaven, his advocate is there on high. (verse 19)
• He needs someone to mediate between God and him, as a person mediates between friends. (verse 21)
• For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return. (verse 22)

Job considered God an adversary. He was not alone. Throughout the years, others have felt that way. Jacob wrestled with the Lord all night. (Gen. 32) Peter argued with God over unclean animals to eat in Acts 10:9-16). Jesus, while on the cross, asked God why He had forsaken Him. (Matt. 27:46)
God wins in the end, so we might as well yield to him sooner than later.

Jesus is the believer's advocate at the throne of God. (Hebrews 7:25, 1 John 2:1)
As I pour out these things, I remember, You are faithful God, forever. Let faith arise.

Are we ready and prepared to go down the road, never to return?

LET IT GO

Focus on the King of Glory.
Crown Jesus Lord of my life.
Pour our my tears to God, as Job did.

Low Blows and Punches

O. T #1139  "Low Blows and Punches"
Jan. 24, 2018
Job 15
As a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed.  Psalm 103:13-14

LET IT GLOW

Round 2. Here they go again, Job's friends tear him to shreds with their sharp words. They don't even give this grieving man a chance to answer. Eliphaz throws verbal punches with graceless words.
Swindoll  says, "In case you wonder what those kind of words sound like, they begin with:

• pride (verse 2); 
• insult (verses 3-4);
• guilt (verses 5);
• condemnation (verse 6);
• exaggeration and sarcasm (verses 7-9).

What gall this many had as he keep punching Job with verbal abuse. Low blows, one after another. Accusations, sarcasm continues in verses 11-16. Didn't he say enough the first go round? Eliphaz's rebuke is followed by the fate of the wicked That is why Job was in pain-he was wicked. He was getting exactly what he deserved. Huh? God had called Job a righteous man.

Job endures this, teaching us to endure with grace. Grace is always need, so we are to resist throwing a deserved punch and knocking them out. We have no idea what that person is going through, so we are not to return evil for evil.

People without grace kick you when you're down; pull you under when you're drowning. When you are almost finished, they write you off.  Will we get back up, though, covered with grace?

LET IT GROW

Epiphaz uses one of the oldest strategies: if you can't win, attack your opponent. He believes that Job revealed his inward corruption with his rebuttal.
You want to fight with bare fists? Come on. Though Job's hands were covered with sores, he willingly took off the gloves. We will read about it in the next two chapters. Job socks it to Eliphaz.

Billy Graham's devotional, Wisdom for Each Day, helps us get back up:

Problems and struggles can wear us down physically, emotionally, and mentally-and can even erode our faith. But God, our loving heavenly Father, understands our feelings at times like these, and He wants to encourage and help us. After all, His Son, Jesus Christ, went through the same experiences we do-although without sinning (Heb. 4:15). We are never alone when we know Christ, and we can trust Him to lead us and point the way out of our dilemma. Life sometimes takes us through hard places. But even in the midst of them, God is with us, and nothing can happen to us that is beyond His ability to help.

Eliphaz uses one of the oldest strategies: if you can't win, attack your opponent. He believes that Job revealed his inward corruption. How? When Job did not curse God through his trials. Not all suffering is due to a person's particular sin.

David Jeremiah states, "With God, true knowledge is not necessarily linked to age but to consistent obedience. (Ps. 119:99,100) Knowledge and wisdom come from doing what God instructs and discovering that He always knows what is right.(Deut. 4:6, 1 Tim. 4:12)"

LET IT GO

When harsh words knock me for a loop, get back up, dust off, and start walking by faith on that dusty, hard road.
Forgive those who punch me where it hurts.
Be filled with grace and pour it out to those who don't deserve it.
Let Jesus heal my injuries.

Frail as a Flower

O. T. #1138  "Frail as a Flower"
Jan. 23, 2018
Job 14

LET IT GLOW

Soon, after the bitter cold weather has passed, and the sun shines again, the sweet little fragrant crocuses and dainty dandelions will pop their heads above the cold ground and shine forth their beauty. Oh, the signs of spring come none too early. I have seen them standing in the midst of snow, too. But their appearance gives us hope of better days to come. Yep, spring is around the corner when we see those beauties. Job wondered about what was to come when he died. Would death bring him relief from his sufferings or more despair?

Job describes his human life in three ways:

1. He is frail like a flower.
2. His life is fleeting like a shadow.
3. He has trouble like a hired man.

A flower can be cut down and is gone. The sun can wilt the flower so it is no more. We are like the frail flower, in the sense that our physical body will not last forever here.  Man is so feeble that it cannot stand up to the Spirit nor God's Word. God has appointed the day for our life here to end.

In Isaiah 40, we read abut all flesh being like grass. Verses 7 and 8 say, The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the Spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

 We know that as the sun moves throughout the day, a shadow moves also. Eventually, the shadow disappears and is no longer. As for the hired man, his work is never completed, but at the end of the day, he has done what he could. That day is over and so is the work.

Humanity is vulnerable. Here today, gone tomorrow.

LET IT GROW

We don't live forever, in this world, that is. We will live forever in eternity, though. What's important is for us to make the right preparation. Job turns to the life beyond the grave.

Job's question is found in verse 14: If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait. Until my change comes.

Keeping in mind that this book was written during the patriarchal era, so Job knew little about the doctrine of resurrection. What he says is not all there is to know about the resurrection. Since we have the whole Bible we discover more truth. When we die, we live on, forever. If we believe in Jesus, confess our sins to Him, and He is our Savior, then we will never die spiritually. Jesus said so in John 11:25-26. We will all have everlasting life, but some may have a different destiny from us believers. We will spend eternity with God in heaven, but unbelievers will spend eternity without God in hell.
So the answer to Job's question is yes. When we die, we live again.  The question we should ask is, When I die, where will I live again?" Will it be with the Lord Jesus in heaven, experiencing joy, reliefs, and rewards awaiting God's people? Or will it be away from God and those we love so dearly, in hell.

The good news is that life is frail, our years are few, and full of trouble. but once we are in the Lord's presence, all that changes. So we need to take advantage of the opportunity now to secure our hope of eternal bliss, as well as sharing the good news with others.
[Resource: Charles R. Swindoll, book Job, A Man of Heroic Endurance]

Jesus told John, which he wrote in Revelation 1:18 I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

In John 11:25-26, Jesus said unto Martha after her brother Lazarus died, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believeth thou this?  

Are we believing in Jesus as the One and Only way to heaven?

LET IT GO

When I let go of life here, taking my last breath, I will live forever with Jesus and the extravagant heaven He has prepared for me.
Share with others my hope of life after death.

Finding Answers

O. T. #1137  "Finding Answers"
Jan. 22, 2018
Job 13-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

What have I done wrong to deserve this? Do we sometimes get to that point like Job did? Job really wanted to find the answer. Yet he won't until chapter 40. Talk about having to wait.

Job has prepared his case, like a lawyer in a courtroom. If granted a fair trial before God, he would not hide like Adam in Genesis 3 (verse 20). Job wanted to reason with God and plead his case. He opens his heart before God, even his pain and confusion.
In verses 20-22, Job asked God to:

• end his pain by withdrawing His hand,
• and stop frightening him with such terrors, His awesome presence,
• then speak to him;
• tell him what he have done wrong,
• show his rebellion and his sin;
• tell him why He turned away from him;
• why He treated him as His enemy.

Job was more concerned with his relationship with the God he loved and worshiped than his misery.
Job wanted to know if his measure of suffering matched the severity of his sin, then he would repent for sins, of which he was unaware. Job felt God might be punishing him for sins committed years earlier in his youth. (MacArthur)

LET IT GROW

In the Living Bible, verse 28 reads, How frail is man, how few his years, how full of trouble!

Although a few people live to be 100 years old or more now days, life still seems short. We are frail critters, with troubles surrounding us. But will our faith and trust in Jesus see us through?

One of my sayings is: Life is full of challenges; it's how we deal with them that counts.

Will our challenges beat us down to stay? Or will they make us stronger, more dependent upon God?
Will we be demanding to know why we have to suffer?

Don't know where I read or heard it, but here is a thought provoking question:
Do you have the courage to learn to live with your problem?

LET IT GO

Rise above the challenges and problems that come my way.
If they come to stay, let Jesus be my Way.

In What Are We Trusting?

O. T. #1136  "In What Are We Trusting?"
Jan. 18, 2018
Job 13
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

LET IT GLOW

In what are we trusting? Is it government funds? Is it our job? Is it our spouse or children? Or is it God?

In the last chapter, we read of the mighty acts of God, His wisdom and power that Job noted.  He concluded that Almighty God is in charge of all things. He has control of all things. Job goes on to say that God's power is visible in nature, human society, religious matters, and national and international affairs.
Does that all include what we are going through in our life right now?

In our last session, we read what Beth Moore had to say about suffering:

• It is a direct correlation to positions God calls us to fill.
• Some of it is spiritual warfare.
• It could be due to sociological resistance because the world hates us as it hated Christ.
• Some suffering is ordained by God for our growth, our humility, our compassion, our obedience, our completion, our faith, our future commendation, joy, and fellowship in His glory.
• Hardships may come because we got it right.
• They may come because of God's immeasurable affection and devotion to us.

Will we trust Him with the suffering He's entrusted to us?
Are we resting in Jesus while enduring tests with enduring faith?

LET IT GROW

After Zophar speaks, Job replies.
Job's point is that he is living proof that God does not always reward goodness and punish evil, as his three visitors have been insisting. (Falwell)

Job tells his friends that he is not inferior to them.
He accuses them of:

• being liars who pretend to be physicians of the soul, who failed with the diagnosis.
• being self-appointed defenders of God;
• false lawyers who have misrepresented God and will have to give an answer.

Verse 15 shows us Job's spiritual condition as he said, Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him.

Job convictions are not self-serving, are they? He was ready to die trusting God. What unconditional trust! Yet, he would defend his innocence before God if given a chance. Like a lawyer going into the courtroom, Job had his case prepared. Job was truly confident that he was saved and not a hypocrite, in verse 16.
Job gives his final solution for the book of Job. He doesn't back down, does he? We know it wasn't because Job did wrong or sinned that caused his sufferings. God allowed it to prove to Satan that Job would be faithful even if his blessings of wealth and family were taken away.

The word trust is yachal (yaw-chal'), which means to wait, be patient, hope; (cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait.
   
Though suffering or even death may come, is my faith as strong as Job's and I will trust God in it and through it? How about being patient for an answer? What about hoping for the best while patiently waiting on it to come? Is our faith in God growing? What about our relationship with God?
Those are hard questions, folks.

Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.
Ps. 62:8

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Ps. 37:7

LET IT GO

Stop fretting over it and trust God in it.
Trust in the Lord with all my heart.
Forget my understanding.
Acknowledge that God is in control.
Trust Him to direct my paths.

Entrusted and Entrusting

O. T. #1135  "Entrusted and Entrusting"
Jan. 17, 2017
Job 12-Part 2
But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.  2 Timothy 1:12

Thought we could use something different while in the middle of Job's suffering, condemnations by his friends, and his rebuttals. Here is an encouraging, different perspective that I came across reading  an excerpt from Beth Moore's book Entrusted: A Study of 2 Timothy. It is found in the chapter, Because I Know the One:

Will we trust God with the suffering He's entrusted to us? Will we believe He has purpose? Do we have vision enough to believe He's planning one of the biggest harvests of our lives through the seed of the Word we're sowing through this hard season? Desperation can fertilize our soil and tears can water our seed like no ease could ever hope to. Are we willing to believe that right on the other side of this life is a party of epic proportions where we'll ecstatically rejoice and share in His unfathomable inheritance?

Suffering is an inescapable part of inhaling oxygen in the atmosphere of this fallen planet. Paul's paradigm suggests that servants of Jesus suffer some things in direct correlation to the positions God called them to fill. A measure of your pain and hardship really is in connection to your calling. Some of it is spiritual warfare. Some of it is sociological resistance because the world hates us as it hated Christ. some of it is ordained by God for our growth our humility, our compassion, our obedience our completion, our faith, and, our future commendation, joy, and fellowship in His glory. If we have a throw-down fit and refute partake in the sufferings of Christ, we will miss partaking in the explosive joy of that measure of His glory. 

Folks, please read 1 Peter 4:12-16, Paul tells us:

• Don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal, trial comes to test us.
• Rejoice as we share in the sufferings of Christ.
• If we are ridiculed for the name of Christ, then we are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us.
• If you suffer as a Christian, don't be ashamed, but glorify God in having that name.

Back to Beth:

When we run into great difficulty or pain in the journey of our calling, we're prone to either cast blame or jump to the conclusion that we must have done something wrong or landed somewhere wrong in our attempt to discern God's will. But sometimes hardship will come because you got it right. Sometimes suffering bubbles up from the well of God's immeasurable affection and devotion to us. This He promises us: the suffering will be brief and the fruit of it as long as eternity. (See 2 Cor. 4:17)

Entrusted and entrusting. Will we trust Him with the suffering He's entrusted to us? In 2 Timothy 1:13, Paul told Timothy, Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching. The lexical Greek translated sound means To be healthy, sound, physically well.  Concerning persons, to be sound in faith, means firm, pure in respect to Christian doctrine and life. God used His words to heal my tormented mind and to piece back together my broken heart. He still uses them every day of my life to bring health to my soul.

In 2 Timothy 1:12, the Greek verb for  am persuaded also translates I am fully convinced. Nothing will substitute for knowing the One you believe in. No one can know Him for you. and no one He knows supplants His knowing you. Faith endures the furious tests by knowing the One in whom it rests.

Thank you Beth. We need that reassurance you gave us, at least I do. Let us not allow the pain of our journey of our call break our faith.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

        

How?

O. T. #1134  "How?"
Jan, 16, 2018
Job 12
True wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are His. 
Job 12:13 NLT

LET IT GLOW

Now, take a look at the birds in the air, animals in the fields, the fish in the sea. Take a good look at each one, how unique they are. Where did they come from? Who made them?  We can't explain how birds can fly, how fish can inhale water and live, how animals know to hibernate in the winter. Why do the planets not collide out in space and the sun doesn't burn us up?  Oh, scientists think they have it all figured out. Believers know the answers, as well as Job-God did it and continues to maintain it all in His control. He gives them all instincts to do what they do, uniquely. He knows the how to the intricate details.

In verses 13-25, Job lists the mighty acts of God:

• He has wisdom and might;
• counsel and understanding.
• He tears down and it cannot be rebuilt.
• He imprisons a man without release.
• He restrains the water, as well as drying them up, sending them out.
• He has strength and sound wisdom.
• He has control over counselors, judges, kings, priests, elders, nobles.
• He reveals mysteries and gives light.
• He makes great nations and then destroys them, even enlarging them.

Swindoll explains, "It's all about our God! It is the inscrutable, Almighty God, who is in charge of all things. don't you think I know that? The God I serve takes delight in undoing human activities and in dismantling human enterprises, and in the process, executing His miraculous undertaking. He alone is in full control. "

Have Job's friends actually met God? Even though Job cannot explain the reason for his suffering, He knows God is still in control. Job's faith and wisdom is not that of an airheaded idiot, is it?
I don't need to have all the answers to all the questions about things. I believe that the Creator does. He knows the how and why of it all since He put it all together and makes it work or do its thing.

LET IT GROW

Job's point is that he is living proof that God does not always reward goodness and punish evil, as his three visitors have been insisting. They have praised God as the Creator. Job can do that too. He has never doubted God's power; he can list the thing God can do, as he did here. Also, Job lists God's destructive power.  (Falwell)

I think Job insinuates what he told his wife earlier after she advised he curse God and die in 2:10,
Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?

Job did not completely understand the reason for his suffering, but neither did his friends. Job was convinced that their reasons were narrow-minded and incorrect. God's wisdom is superior to any the world has to offer.

Are we trusting in God's wisdom in our life, problem, situation? Will we continue on living with faith in Him, focusing on carrying out His will? Others can discourage us, but God loves us.

LET IT GO

God holds my life and breath in His hand, and everything that comes my way.
Focus on Him and not the painful things.
Trust the One who is all wise and all powerful.

Condemners and Bullies

O. T. #1133  "Condemners and Bullies"
Jan. 15, 2018
Job 11-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Condemners and bullies are in a category of their own. Accusing me of acting like a child isn't going to get me to do what you want. When I am in the right, I'm not yielding. When I am convicted of being wrong, then I yield and confess it. Otherwise, stop bulling me. It took me a while to get to that place. Those hurtful words kept stabbing me in the heart. Finally, I forgave the person and refused to allow Satan to torment me with those words. Job's third friend was a bully and condemned him.

Falwell gives us insight into Zophar, in Liberty Bible Commentary:

Zophar is a man of worldly wisdom and common sense. In some respects, he is the most offensive of the three friends of Job. He accuses Job of lying and hypocrisy. He can hardly wait for God to defend Himself and finally give the whining, self-righteous old  man what he really deserves.(verses 1-6)

He accuses Job of arguing with God as though he knew the deep things of God, then defends God's sovereignty and greatness, or infinity, in this case. (verses 7-12)

Zophar expresses his deep conviction that Job is a sinner. He advises Job to repent, and turn from  wickedness. If he does, God will surely forgive him, restore him, and banish all fear and suffering. (verses 13-20)

Falwell continues to explain:

• Job has been insisting that God has been too harsh with him.
• The height, depth, length, and breath of God are beyond human comprehension.
• God has absolute power, and in the affairs of men He acts as judge and jury.
• God's exercise of supreme authority is justified, because He knows men through and through and can recognize a worthless man on sight.

Zophar was determined to expose Job's secret sins, yet none could be found.
Do we realize that God knows everything about us, even our thoughts?
Are there things we need to change, now that we understand that?

LET IT GROW

Zophar should have gotten his facts straight before he took on a man as faithful as Job. (Swindoll)
Will Job put a stop to those legalists? We will soon see.

Do you recall the time when a woman was caught in adultery and her accusers brought her to Jesus? They were calling for her to be stoned to death according to the Mosaic Law. (John 8) Jesus bent down and wrote in the dirt. Then He said, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
They were guilty of some sort of sin, whether the same one or not. The accusers left, thus no one was left to condemn her.  Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.
The women's accusers were Scribe and Pharisees, learned of the Word.

Where does that leave us? Sin is not always the reason suffering comes to folks. Sometimes it is a testing of our faith.

Do we assume we know why others are having hard times?
Do we compare others, implicating them by the sins of others?
Do we jump to false conclusions?
Are we condemners?
Are we guarding against judgmental generalizations?


LET IT GO

Stop judging others and love them to Jesus.
Leave the judging to God, for He is just.
Pray for mercy for our condemners.

Watching our Words

O. T. #1132  "Watching our Words"
Jan. 12, 2018
Job 11

LET IT GLOW

If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all. How many times have we said that to our children? Changing that, Job's three friends should have been told if they couldn't bring sympathy and comfort, then don't bring anything. Let your presence do the talking. (Swindoll)
Are we watching our words?

The first two friends to speak to Job were Eliphaz, a poet and spiritual man who saw visions and dreamed dreams, based his advice upon his experience. The second friend, Bildad, was a man who rest on authority, and appealed to tradition. Now the third friend, Zophar, is a man o worldly wisdom and common sense. In some respects, he is the most offensive of the three. (Falwell)

Job has insisted that God had been too hard on him. Zophar considers God's dealings with Job to have been too easy on him. Zophar was a classic legalist, condemning Job that:

• He was guilty. (verses 1-4)
• He was ignorant. (verse 5-12)
• He was sinful. (verses 13-20)

Those put-downs are a bit much, don't you think? Job wasn't a bag of hot air, self-serving. Zophar goes as far as to insinuate that Job is an idiot in verse 12, An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

Idiot is from a Hebrew word meaning to be hollow, empty.
When it is used to refer to an idiot person, in modern terms, it is one who is empty-headed, an airhead. Zophar suggested that Job, being an idiot, could never be wise, any more than a donkey could give birth to a human. (Swindoll)  Ouch! Can Zophar's put downs get any lower?

Actually, Zophar had an answer for everything. He spoke angrily to Job, who was hurting. Such insensitivity!

Beware of legalists. They judge you because you are not doing what they believe you should be doing. Or else, you are doing what they think you should not be doing.

Are we careful to not become a legalist? Let us not compare our self to others, for we would come out on top. but when we compare our self to Jesus, we come out on the bottom every time, begging for mercy.


LET IT GROW

Zophar doesn't need to teach Job about God, for he is not ignorant. Job was identified as the greatest man of the East feared God, and turned away from evil. In chapter 6, verses 24 and 28, Job says, Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred. Now please look at me, and see if I lie to your face.

Job knew he wasn't guilty of sin that brought all those tragedies upon him. We know he was right, and it was Satan's doings. Also, we know it was God that allowed them to happen. But Job did not know all of that.

Are we who have been attending Sunday School so prideful in that we think we know all those Bible stories we here over and over again. What can they teach us hat we don't already know?

Zopar tells Job, in verses 13-15, how to be free from fault, firmly established, and unafraid, holding his head up high:

• Redirect your heart, lift up your hands to God in prayer.
• If there is iniquity in your heart, remove it.
• Don't allow injustice to dwell in your tent.

He tells Job to repent of his sins, turning away from wickedness. Then God would forgive him, restore him, and remove all fear and suffering.
Certainly, we should repent and remove sinful ways and things in our life. We need God's forgiveness.

LET IT GO

Repent, agreeing with God that I have sinned against Him.
Forgive others in the way I want God's forgiveness.
Clean house, spiritually.
Watch out for legalists.

Seaching for Rest While Weary

O. T. #1131  "Searching for Rest While Weary"
Jan. 11, 2018
Job 10
Then Jesus said, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."  Matthew 11:28-30 NLT


LET IT GLOW

Have you ever been weary? Well, who hasn't been weary? When it is a physical exhaustion, we get relief by resting and sleeping, but when it is a mental or emotional weariness, we do not easily rest from it. Scenes and words of pain keep going around and around in our mind. Pain gets deep and finds crevices to lodge in. After a while, when no one helps us find relief, we feel like we are in a barrel that drifted over Niagara Falls, bobby up and down, going no where, just existing. Job was searching for hope. Listen to him.

Having replied to Bildad, with a sign Job addresses God:

• Job is weary of life by now, disgusted with his life as it is.
• He is going to express his bitterness of soul and complain about it all.
• Job appeals to God for his innocence.
• Don't condemn me guilty, but let me know why You persecute me.

Weary has several meanings: having the patience exhausted, or the mind yielding to discouragement; to reduce or exhaust the physical strength of the body to tire to fatigue as; exhaust by fatigue; to subdue.

I would say that Job is exhausted in all ways by now. He is discouraged and subdued. Eliphaz left him cold, giving Job no answers for his situation. Bildad gave him neither comfort nor insight. He was left with no mediator. Job asks God questions and proclaims his own gloom, deep shadow and darkness.

Friends, please don't forsake this study now. I know it can be a downer for us, day after day reading of Job's awful situation and struggles. He will get some answers  and relief, so hang in there with us. If this lesson is not for us right now, the time may be ahead of us when we can apply what we learn from Job and to our own struggles.  If  not us, then  look around, we can find someone going through struggles and questions similar to Job. What encouragement can we provide for them, unlike Job's friends?

God binds up the brokenhearted. When your prayers haven't been answered yet; when you are down and out; when your heart is broken; keep walking by faith and praying. God hears, loves, sees all that is happening in your life.

LET IT GROW

Bildad frowns at Job and walks away. God remains silent. Job has no answers to his sufferings.

Swindoll gives us some lessons from this chapter:

• When misery breaks our spirit, philosophical words don't help us cope.
• When a mediator can't be found, futile searches won't give us hope.

People are in search of hope to go on, a way to make it through their maze of misery. You and I maybe that person to help them find the answers they are searching for. Are we available? Will we pray for and with them, cry with them, sit quietly and listen to them?

Dear ones, we have a Mediator who has the answers, who is available and will listen to everyone's story of pain. He is no philosopher, but He is our Redeemer! Jesus is His name. His mercy outweighs all misery. He is only a breath away. His love never fails, it never gives up, never runs out on me-Jesus' love.

LET IT GO

Let Jesus hold me in my misery, trial, troubles, desertion.
Come to Jesus to find rest for my weary soul.
Lay those heavy burdens down at His feet.

Who Will Mediate?

O. T. #1130  "Who Will Mediate?"
Jan. 10, 2018
Job 9-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

I recall a time when teachers in a big city refused to work at school without their demands being met. They picketed too. They had a list of changes for the administration to meet before the would step foot into the classrooms. The problem was that heir needs were not being considered. So it took an arbitrator to be the go-between t find a happy ground for both parties. I don't remember the specifics, but the teachers got some of their demands, for they returned to teaching. Job desired to have such a go-between person so he and God could get his why's cleared up.

Job said earlier in this chapter that he would love to stand in the divine courtroom and stand before God, the ultimate Judge of all. If only he could talk things rough with His Creator.
According to Swindoll, Job would have four questions:

1. If I could stand before God, what would I say?(v. 14-19) He would have to implore the mercy of the Judge.
2. If I could declare my own innocence, what good would it do?(v. 20-24 God would declare Job guilty; his own mouth would condemn Job.
3. If I tried to be positive and cheerful, how would that help me? (v. 25-31) Job tells his friends if he forgot his complaints, put away his sad face, and was cheerful, he would still dread the pain. go would still find him guilty.
4. Is it possible to have a mediator who could represent my needs before God? (v. 32-35)

If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. (verse 33)

Job desires a go-between to help him communicate with holy and mighty God. He wishes for one who could argue his case. Job cannot stand before the holy Judge. Job knows that he is no Deity and unqualified to stand before God. Also, God is not  a man to stand before Job. He was stuck. Job's friend Bildad did not supply any answers for him, either.

LET IT GROW

Paul, in his first letter to his young friend Timothy, wrote that we have One who represents us to God the Father-Jesus Christ.

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.  1 Timothy 2:5 NAS

When it comes to eternal life, Jesus is the One who provided it for us. It was Jesus' blood that makes us pure before a holy God. Jesus spoke of Himself as  the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6)
This is as fundamental belief in Christianity.

Job had not met our Mediator yet, but later on the world would hear about Him. His questions were from a man who knew God and was overwhelmed by the sense of His greatness. Job's smallness cried out for a mediator to help him understand why all the tragedies came into his life.

Death will eventually come to all of us. Are we ready to stand before God? If not, then please ask Him to forgive your sin and be your Savior, your mediator before that day.

LET IT GO

                                 ... of pride and humble myself before God.
                                 ... and trust Jesus as the only way to God.
                                 .. and thank Jesus for all He has done for me a sinner.

Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes way the sins of the world.

Jumping for Joy

O. T. #1129  "Jumping for Joy"
Jan.9, 2018
Job 9
These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  John 15:11

LET IT GLOW

I enjoy living out in the country. I see God's hand over animals as He brings them my way to be astonished at His creation. The other evening we were going out to eat with our son and his family. As he drove us along our country road, he stopped the vehicle. We saw a half dozen does in the woods. We were all in awe as we watched this young deer prancing around, practicing jumping. It was quite a show. And I think, why are we Christians not jumping for joy at what God does in our life? (Speaking to me.) He saved my soul, set me free from the power of sin, provides for me to over come the evil around here. He is fighting my battles if I will let Him. Yeah, I should be jumping for joy, like the deer.

Well, Bildad was a legalist, a traditionalist, indicating that Job needed sermons and illustrations from the past and philosophical analogies from examples in the world of nature-plants, spiders, roots around rocks.  How would that help Job solve the problem of sores all over his body? Was Bildad there with Job because he cared for the poor man? Did he even pray for Job to survive it all? Some encouraging friend he was.

In chapter 9, Job speaks to Bildad asking questions:

• So what's new? Job knew all that Bildad said.
• How can mere mortals get just with God? Just means to be vindicated in the sense of a court declaring in one's favor.
• What chance would we have if we wanted to bring our case before Him? Job wants to contend, or challenge God. Job answered his own question, "Not 1 in a 1,000."
• Who could take Him on and come out in 1 piece? God's wisdom is so deep, and His power so immense. Even the earth, mountains and seas, stars and sun are under His control. We will never comprehend all the great things God does.
• If He steals you blind who can stop Him?
• Who is going to question what God is doing?

Job recognizes how great God is. He is magnificent in might and Job feared God. He stood before Him in awe and wonder. Job wants to be able to approach God and talk this out. Bildad did not help him do that.

If we could approach God in a divine courtroom setting, and stand before the Judge, what would we do? God is holy and we are sinners.  tend to think we would humbly bow before Him.

LET IT GROW

Job longs to walk into God's courtroom just as he is-covered with sores, bankrupt and broken, to argue his case. He would be a rebel, but desires talking it through face to face  with God.

Swindoll tells us four questions that Job would a God:

1. If I could stand before God, what would I say? Job couldn't answer God, but implore the mercy of the Judge. He couldn't believe God would even listen to him. Job states that God is the strong one. If it is a matter of power, He wins. If Job could stand before God, what would he say? If he could declare his own innocence, what good would it do?

Are we willing to kneel before the Lord our God and Creator? Either we submit to Him now or when we die. Then it will be too late to confess our sins. We are all sinners; none is righteous, no not one.
Will we admit it?

Do we want to fly above our problems like the eagle, soaring in the sky?
Do we want to prance with joy like the young deer?
Then we need to submit to God. Whatever He wants to bring into our life to change us and be a witness of His strength, let us surrender.

LET IT GO

I am a sinner in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ, constantly.
Give my problems to God and soar like an eagle above them.
Jump for joy as I live pardoned.
Share with others how they too can be like the eagle and deer.

Where Are You Looking?

O. T. # 1128  "Where Are You Looking?
Jan. 8, 2018
Job 8
Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  Philippians 2:4

LET IT GLOW

I have noticed that when life is going good, then I am more concerned about others. It is when I am in a trial, working through a problem, that I am looking at myself more, focusing on the bad situation. But the way out of the pit is to look to the needs of others and help them. That helps me in the long run, getting me out of my pit of despair. Maybe Job's friends could have used our key verse in their lives.

You are nothing more than other than a windbag, Job. Can you imagine Job hearing that after the first of his friends, Eliphaz preached repentance, basing his words on experience.

His reasonings came from experience-I have learned, I have observed, I have seen. (Swindoll)

 hat are you guys doing to poor Job in his condition? With his 10 children buried up on the hill? Since he was as poor as a nail? Had a wife nagging him to curse God and die?

Job's second friend, named Bildad, is different. He bases his words on tradition. He urged Job to go back into history and check what happened there.

Swindoll gives us an outline of Bildad's sermon:

1. The Character of God (verses 3-7) Look Up, Job!
2. The Wisdom of the Past (verses 8-10) Look Back, Job!
3. The Evidence of Nature (verses 11-19) Look Around, Job!
4. Concluding Comments (verses 20-22)

Because Job's children sinned, God judged them, thus killing them.  If Job would repent, then God would restore his health and wealth. He is a withering, dying hypocrite. He has sinned and God had uprooted him. His hope is in perishing. Couldn't Bildad have shown  little more tact and compassion in his words to Job? After all, Job had not forgotten God, nor was he godless, but remained a godly man during his friends' visits. He did not deserve all that had happened to him. Satan was behind it all. (Easy for me to say, I didn't live through it.)

The tradition of our faith as Christians is based upon God's Word and the life of Jesus. Aren't we thankful that God's compassions fail not, and His mercies are new every morning?

LET IT GROW

Bildad instructed Job to:

• pray to God,
• seek the favor of the Almighty,
• be pure,
• live with integrity,

then God will raise you up and restore your happy home. And though you started with little, you will end with much.

Sometimes changes in our life are needed so we can be more like those characteristics.  Sometimes they achieve good results and other times our circumstances do not change. Our life is in God's hands. Will we accept good and bad? Will we live for God's glory or for our self?

LET IT GO

Pray more, seek to please God more, have pure thoughts, live with integrity.
Stop looking at my circumstances, rely on God, then take a look at others.
Look up, look back, and look around.
Learn what God is like, looking up.
Learn life lessons from my past and the past of others, looking back.
See the needs of those in suffering times and what could help encourage them, looking around.

Need a Moment to Catch Your Breath?

O. T. #1127  "Need a Moment to Catch Your Breath?"
Jan. 5, 2018
Job 7

LET IT GLOW

Hey, I have been eagle watching from my front door. Yep, He has been sitting in a bare tree, just looking around. Then another one came to the same tree, but soon flew off. Two eagles came flying by him. You know I was using my binoculars to get a birds eye view. How majestic these birds are, huge in size, white heads and white tails, a giant wing expanse. This was all an answer to a wish the other day when I was in town, sitting in the truck, waiting on my husband in the store. I saw half a dozen flying around.  My desire was to see them up closer, but it didn't happen that day. I believe the Lord heard me and sent them my way this morning, 3 days later. What a blessing! Is there a lesson for you and me from the eagles?
Are we having our strength renewed because we are waiting upon the Lord? Are we mounting up as eagles, running without growing weary, walking without fainting? (Is. 40:31) Anyway, that is why I'm late for the study.

If only Job could have found that strength. Although, he was still sitting in misery, listening to his friends. He gives an answer to Eliphaz in chapter 6, whenever he stopped comforting and went to preaching repentance to Job. Then in chapter 7, Job directs his words crying out to God.

O God, remember that my life is but a breath.  (NLT  verse 7)

KJV uses the word wind; in the Hebrew is rauwach (roo'-akh), which is wind by resemblance breath.

Can we stop for a minute and consider our breath of life? If we have congestion in our lungs or passage, we have problems breathing. I know that from having asthma, had pneumonia, and influenza A. Breathing is important to staying alive, we will all agree. It keeps us going, our body functioning with the oxygen it needs. If our breath is gone, our life is snuffed out in  minute's time. Do we thank God for our breath? For allowing us to awaken this morning?

LET IT GROW

If only Job could bring his case before the Living God, lay his situation out before Him, then Job would accept whatever God had to say, judging rightly. However, God is silent to Job during those days of his testing.

In verse 18, Job acknowledges that God examines us every morning and tests us each moment. He is watching over us constantly. That makes Him God.
Job needs a moment to catch his breath, to swallow. (verse 19)
After the busy season we have just survived, do we need a moment to catch our breath? The Holy Spirit can supply our every need.

If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of humanity? (verse 20)

This is not an admission of guilt, but an argument against the way God has dealt with him. Job closes his discourse with the urgent request that God forgive him, if indeed he has sinned, before it is too late, in verse 21. (Falwell)

Soon we lie down in the dust and die, like Job said in verse 21b. Yes, it happens to us so quickly. That is why we must be about our Father's business, as Jesus told his parents when they found Him in the temple after 3 days.

LET IT GO

Wait upon the Lord Jesus.
Be thankful for my breath of life today.
Admit my sins and ask God's forgiveness.

A Silent Friend

O. T. #1126  "A Silent Friend"
Jan. 4, 2018
Job 6-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Eliphaz, I haven't asked for something special, your wealth, deliverance from my adversary, or redeeming me from the hands of tyrants. Job does not ask help to get relief, nor try to cover up some hidden sin. (verses 22-23)

Teach me, and I will be silent; and show me how I have erred.  (verse 24)

Job expresses anguish and questions his trials. He needs sympathy while in his pain. Job is willing to acknowledge his wrongs, for he had not lied of his incense. He was neither a madman nor a wicked man. Job was patient and submissive. It didn't matter what Eliphaz thought, Job knew in his heart that he did not deserve the boils, his children killed, lost of livestock and servants.

A just cause deserves a just hearing. (Henry)

Silence and prayers often are the best help we can render a friend in pain, not judgment.

LET IT GROW

David Jeremiah gives us some pointers when helping a friend facing trouble:

• They do not need sarcasm; they need support.
• They do not need logic; they need love.
• They do not need experiences; they need encouragement.
• They do not need assumptions; they need assurances.
• They do not need advice; they need affirmation.
• They do not need pious platitudes; they need powerful principles.

No pep talks are needed, but sincere compassion. I think that I have learned a few things from Job already, or rather his so called friends.
When I am upset, I need a silent, listening ear. My husband has learned this. I don't need to be told how to solve the problem right then. I need apathy, reassurance that I am loved. As I work through the situation, then when I ask for advice, give it. But not until then. Anyone else like me?

LET IT GO

Be a silent friend.
Show support, love, and listen to those going through trials and troubles.
Be assuring and encouraging.
Listen when others state their opinion for me to consider.

Give Up and Get Out or Carry On?

O. T. #1125  "Give Up and Get Out or Carry On?"
Jan. 3, 2018
Job 6
God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26b

LET IT GLOW

According to David Jeremiah, Job made two mistakes in his attempt to help Job:

1. He made all suffering sin.
2. He said that all righteousness is rewarded and that all sin is judged.

Eliphaz assumed he knew the cause of Job's sufferings. He believed that if Job would submit to the chastening of the Almighty, he would reap a harvest of blessing.

Now let's hear Job's response-my righteousness still stands. Job's friends seemed more intend on arguing their points than trying to understand Job's situation. What does arguing prove in the long run?

Job used several metaphors to describe his suffering in verses 2-7:

1. sand of the sea, which implies a vast amount;
2. a profound weight;
3. shot with arrows, an OT expression for judgment;
4. tasteless, like the white of an egg. ((The Jeremiah Study Bible)

To Job, life has lost its pleasures. His complaint is justifiable, so Job thinks. He is deep down in grief and misery. It is better to listen politely to one suffering in severe trials, showing compassion, than give advice. Job wanted to give in, give up, and die. (verses 8-9) Did God grant Job's request? No. God had a greater plan for Job's life.


LET IT GROW

Don't I have a right to complain? Paul tells us to do all things without murmurings and disputings, in Philippians 2:14. No grumbling or arguing? Do all things in that manner? So many times I fail at this instruction.

According to NLT, verses 10-11, Job says, At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One. But I don't have the strength to endure-I have nothing to live for.

He can just take so much. Job recognizes that he is not made of stone or metal. We are only made of flesh and bones. They decay and over time our body wears out. Some days we realize that more than other days, especially after we turn 60, huh?

We tend to want to give up and get out when the going gets rough. When our limits are tested and our faith has been stretched to the limit, we find out what we are made of. Are we trusting that God is in control and will take care of us? Been there, done that. It's easy to quit, but difficult to continue on, get back in there, press on. Ask God for strength to carry on, friend, as the key verse says.

Is anything stealing our joy, or trying to do so? Praise God in the midst, dear one. Start being a giver and a liver, living, not the organ. There ain't nothing goin' a steal my joy, as the song goes. Put our hope in Jesus, and He will be our strength to carry on.

LET IT GO

Put those painful things behind, in last year, and start a new year.
Let my disappointments become appointments with God.
Rely on God and carry on, not giving up and getting out.

Unfailing Kindness

O. T. #1124  "Unfailing Kindness"
Jan. 2, 2018
Job 5-Part 3
He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed. Psalm 18:50

LET IT GLOW

Isn't it time that we get back to the basics of life? Develop our relationship with God and with others. Ask forgiveness, give forgiveness, show unfailing kindness. This year, in spite of how that hard person treats us, let us show them kindness this year, for we receive God's unfailing kindness. Job's friend could have used those words.

Although Job is miserable physically, at wits' end emotionally, and confused spiritually, his friend Eliphaz has blamed and shamed, rebuked and judged Job.

Swindoll gives us 3 lessons we can learn from Eliphaz:

1. Assumptions reduce understanding and insight. If you have made up your mind and you have already figured out what caused this, you can't really understand the truth because you're no longer listening. Assumptions reduce understanding, insight gets lost.
2. Shame blocks grace and hinders relief.  Shame shoves you further into the tight grip of anguish. "Shame on you" does no good.
3. Pride eclipses mercy and compassion. Pride and compassion cannot coexist.

so we need to listen instead of assume, to show grace instead of point out shame, and show compassion in place of pride. Of course, we have heard why we have 2 ears and only one mouth-to hear twice as much as we speak.

Job's friend did not even give him a chance to speak first, to get it off his chest, this pain and suffering. No, Eliphaz jumped right in with both feet, condemning Job for sinning. Yet Job was the most righteous man around, blameless and had integrity, which we know is true because God had said it to Satan in chapter 1.

Have we learned that we can't convict people of their sins. Only God can. When He does, we can offer His grace, understanding, and compassion.
 
LET IT GROW

Eliphaz tells Job, in verse 27, that they have studied life and found this to be true, hear it and understand it for yourself. He is talking about all he's been talking about. Hmm

According to verses 19-26, we can trust God will keep us safe from evil, death in famine, the sword in wartime, slander, destruction, wild animals. He continues to say, God will give us peace, a safe home, possessions from being stolen, bless us with children, and a long life. Eliphaz indicates Job would have prosperity, security, a family, and a rich life if he would confess his sins.

Now who couldn't use that in their life? Yeah buddy! We know that it rains on the just and the unjust. God provides for those not following Him as well as His faithful followers. But, let us keep in mind that Satan's ploy is to get us to doubt God's love and faithfulness toward us.

LET IT GO

Repent of my sins.
Be an obedient, faithful follower of Jesus.
Trust God for peace and safety.
Help others find God's mercy and grace.
Show kindness to someone today.

Suffering and Deliverance

O. T. #1123  "Suffering and Deliverance"
January 1, 2018
Job 5-Part 2
But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. For though He wounds, he also bandages. He strikes but His hands also heal.
(Job 5:17-18 NLT)

LET IT GLOW

Happy New Year, my dear friends in Christ. I am so glad you have continued with me as we study God's Word together. However, many of you have yet to leave a comment about what God is doing in your life. Won't you consider sharing with us? It brings encouragement to us.
Well, instead of looking back over last year and all the struggles, problems, and trials we went through, shall we look ahead with confident expectance as we trust in our Savior Jesus Christ? Our assignment is to complete God's will in our life no matter what that may entail. But are we ready?
Although Job's friend Eliphaz has some harsh things to say to Job, he does have a few good things to say. Join me, won't you?

This so called friend of Job's does have a few good things to say:

• We should be happy to suffer for the glory of God, especially if it brings restoration to a soul (ours or others).
• We should accept God's discipline upon our life, for it proves to us that He loves us  as His child.
• God binds up the wounds of His children.
• He heals those injured.
• God delivers us from troubles. (verse 19)
• He redeems us from famine, death, and war. (verse 20)
• He hides us from the scourge of the tongue. (verse 21)
• God delivers us from destruction and the beasts. (verse 22)
• Your offspring shall be great and numerous. (verse 25)
• You will come to the grave at full age. (verse 26)

Of course, Eliphaz was speaking to Job, but God placed this passage in His Word to speak to us His children. Which of those do you need as reassurance in your life today, in your walk of faith?

We know that later on, Job is blessed by God with those things in his life because of his faithfulness and eventual humility. (chapter 42)
Although this friend said words of truth, he hasn't been much help to Job at that time.

LET IT GROW

Job's friend, Eliphaz,  did not give up. If he came to sympathize and comfort, then he sure had a weird way of doing it. Does it really matter how many experiences he has had, being older? He had no right to question Job's integrity. He accused Job of suffering because he was guilty of sin. Eliphaz suggests Job seeks God, placing his cause before Him. (verse 8)

There are people who twist the truth, ignore the facts, and verbally abuse the undeserving. (Swindoll)

Did Job get what he deserved? Was he not listening to God's reproofs? Was it true that after Job repented of his sins, then he would be just fine? If we don't have God's clear mind and the facts of the situation as proof, shouldn't we just love our hurting friend and keep quiet?

If there is insight to be gained, it will be gained through comfort and tender mercies, not rebuke and accusation. (Swindoll)

Do we need more tender mercies and compassion for others?

LET IT GO

                                ... of judgmental thoughts and show tender mercies and compassion to those who
                                    hurt me.
                                ... and willfully suffer for Jesus.
                                ... then trust Jesus for deliverance in His time.