As the New Year starts, I’m looking forward to many things. But there are also many “what ifs.” Like my pastor was talking about last night, some of those are negative ‘what ifs,’ which had me thinking. Can we be satisfied with just our family, if God chose to take away everything else? Could we be satisfied with just our lives if God took away everything else? I’m reminded of Job, who was the most righteous man in the world in his time, and, I believe, ever to live.
Satan set out to make Job curse God. Now, before I go any further, let’s look at the personality of Job.
“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”
(Job 1:1)
Job 1:1 says that He was Perfect. First of all, if God inspired someone to write a book about you, could they say right off the bat that you were perfect? They wouldn’t be able to say that about me.
The next few verses go on to say that he had 10 children- 7 sons and 3 daughters, and that he was the richest man in the east.
In verse 5, it says that he offered up burnt sacrifices for the sins of his children:
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
(Job 1:5)
So Satan goes to God and gets permission to temp Job to curse God. Job loses literally everything but his wife.
“And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
(Job 1:13-19)
At this point, to be perfectly transparent, I’d probably be cursing God. But Job knew better. Take a look at Job’s reaction:
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
(Job 1:20-22)
Job worshipped. What a wonderful sight that we see here. “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
I encourage you, let’s not lose sight of what God has in store for us. Again, like my pastor said last night, we can’t see the finished picture of what he’s doing in our lives, all we have is the blueprints, and we have to follow them.
You see, we don’t know what God has in store for us, but if we continually seek his will, and draw close to him, That’s when the changes in our lives become apparent.
Will you be like the apostle Paul this year? Paul spent his whole Christian life devoted to telling others about Christ. How great would it be if we told everyone we met about the saving power, about the personal relationship, and about the redemption that we found through and in Jesus Christ?
We might not be the most popular people in school anymore, but we might just be more satisfied in our lives, knowing that we’ve done something for Christ, and we’re not just dumb rocks on a pew every Sunday.
I encourage you, to live out for Christ this year, and to draw near to him.
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