"When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to the penalty of their sin." (Job 8:4, NIV)
Okay, internet being worked on today (hence, delay), and this right after major sewer line replacement, gutters replaced, and found out today the roof is next. Hey, what do you expect for a 96 year old house? Sort of sounds like modern, aging humanity, e.g., organ transplants, knee/hip replacements, stints and by-pass.
My daily reading in the "Wisdom Literature" is now in Job. Our text is a false religious platitude which was condemned by the Lord God at the end of Job. I read this today, however, and remembered similar garbage which I have heard over the years. One of the worst, which is manifest in the text, and manifest in "water cooler" theology is that if something bad happens to you, you must have done something wrong, lost the "favor" of God, have deep, abiding sin in your life. Job nullifies this all. Here was a man of whom it was said there was none like him, none who walked with the Living Triune God any "closer." Yet.......... All I can say is to beware some "christian" television and other misleading religionists.
Every heartache imaginable happened to Job. Perhaps there was another tragedy, however, which he experienced which was also very painful---- his "friends," and the young man who thought he knew more than them all. They were classic, "....accuser of our Brethren...." They literally came at Job with everything they had, every religious platitude they could think of. Know those kind?
Beware of attempting to have an answer for everything, and equally, listening to someone who always has an answer for everything. There are just some things in life to which no one knows the answer, if indeed there is an "answer." The call to you and me today is the same as that to which the Book of James calls us, "As you know we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." Our Lord Jesus Christ never changes, "His compassions they fail not." You and I have a simple choice today. We can count our maladies or we can count our blessings. Choose wisely.
Father, in Jesus' Name, there is no reason for me to ever count anything but Your mercies which are, "new every morning." Amen.
Okay, internet being worked on today (hence, delay), and this right after major sewer line replacement, gutters replaced, and found out today the roof is next. Hey, what do you expect for a 96 year old house? Sort of sounds like modern, aging humanity, e.g., organ transplants, knee/hip replacements, stints and by-pass.
My daily reading in the "Wisdom Literature" is now in Job. Our text is a false religious platitude which was condemned by the Lord God at the end of Job. I read this today, however, and remembered similar garbage which I have heard over the years. One of the worst, which is manifest in the text, and manifest in "water cooler" theology is that if something bad happens to you, you must have done something wrong, lost the "favor" of God, have deep, abiding sin in your life. Job nullifies this all. Here was a man of whom it was said there was none like him, none who walked with the Living Triune God any "closer." Yet.......... All I can say is to beware some "christian" television and other misleading religionists.
Every heartache imaginable happened to Job. Perhaps there was another tragedy, however, which he experienced which was also very painful---- his "friends," and the young man who thought he knew more than them all. They were classic, "....accuser of our Brethren...." They literally came at Job with everything they had, every religious platitude they could think of. Know those kind?
Beware of attempting to have an answer for everything, and equally, listening to someone who always has an answer for everything. There are just some things in life to which no one knows the answer, if indeed there is an "answer." The call to you and me today is the same as that to which the Book of James calls us, "As you know we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." Our Lord Jesus Christ never changes, "His compassions they fail not." You and I have a simple choice today. We can count our maladies or we can count our blessings. Choose wisely.
Father, in Jesus' Name, there is no reason for me to ever count anything but Your mercies which are, "new every morning." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
