More Than We Can Ever Know

“Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.” (Job 36:26 AV)

Where do you begin with a statement like that?  How can one expound on a subject that he does not understand?  What more can be said?  How do we illumine any further truth than what Elihu has just stated?  He is absolutely right, of course.  God cannot be understood.  The mere fact that He holds all of His attributes without limit stops any attempt to know Him beyond that which He has revealed.  We may know God in a personal way.  We may know of Him.  We may know what God must be like to the degree we can accept what He is.  But we cannot truly know Him.  Not as He knows Himself.  He is God and we will never be.  We will never fully understand Him.  Given all of eternity, we can know him as well as a newborn knows his dad.  Barely.  But this is not discouraging.  This is encouraging.  I am glad that I cannot really know an infinite God.  Hallelujah!

We have robbed ourselves of the innocence of the Christian faith.  A few days ago, we went to the Milwaukee County Museum.  It is a natural history museum with a planetarium attached.  We arrived just as school children were leaving.  There were hundreds of middle school to high school-aged kids running all over the place.  Then, they congregated at the front entrance, waiting for their bus to arrive.  While there, a group of about forty kids huddles around one exhibit.  I think it was one of those wishing-well-type things where you drop your coin at the top and it slowly descended while traversing a cone-shaped bowl.  Around and around it would go.  Then it finally fell into a small hole at the bottom.  There were plaques around the exhibit explaining the forces of nature that were in play.  But there they stood, captivated by something so amazing, it was the hit of the museum.  Why?  Because even though the words explaining the phenomenon were clearly visible with words not hard to understand, the concept was.  They were amazed not because they could understand it.  Rather, they were amazed because they could not understand it.

We don’t have to get to a point where we think we understand God to lose the wonder of who and what He is.  All we have to do is believe that we can.  In our pursuit of knowledge, we have to start with the truth that God cannot be understood.  It doesn’t matter if we can ask the question.  Just because we can ask the question does not mean we can eventually know the answer.  This is what had happened with modern teaching.  It is approached as though God is a subject who, given enough time and work, can be understood.  Rather than approach it as an inexperienced person might approach electricity, we open our texts books, Bible, and commentaries thinking there is no question we can ask about God where the answer cannot be found.  If that is your case, I truly feel sorry for you.  You are bringing God down to your level and He has ceased to be as wonderous as He truly is.  Elihu was right.  We cannot know Him.  We cannot understand Him.  He is beyond our comprehension and even though we can ask the question, it doesn’t mean we will ever know the answer.  That is why God is God and we are not.

P.S. Today is the last day of our drive.  A $20 gift card is up for grabs.  Have your friends and family follow this blog by clicking on the blue 'follow' button to the right.  If they are reading from a mobile browser, then have them scroll to the bottom, locate and click 'view web version' then do the same.  Have them mention you in a comment and the one with the most comments will win the gift card.  Winner will be announced tomorrow.

Giver of Hope and Light

“He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;  He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.” (Job 33:27-28 AV)

What mercy!  What grace!  If we feel like we are in a pit, it is not God’s fault.  Even in times of trial, we may be overwhelmed, but if we have lost hope, this is not on God.  God is the God of mercy and hope.  If we have neither, it is because there is something wrong on our end.  In the above passage, Elihu is speaking primarily of the misery caused by our sin.  In particular, I wish to meditate on that last phrase.  Those who desire to see the light in life, need to walk with God in obedience and faith.  Having said that, I wish to meditate more on the provision of it rather than the attaining of it.  God delivers and gives hope.  This is what I wish to ponder this morning.

One of the TV programs I watch when I was a child was Gilligan’s Island.  It has almost a cult following now.  Almost every episode has some form of escape that miraculously presented itself.  One episode had a young native boy who was stranded on the same island.  They built a hot air balloon and sailed him to the mainland only to have lost the note that accompanied hum.  Still, another was sailing a small craft with information attached which sank in a storm.  Still, another was a homing pigeon whose owner was a criminal in a prison that no one took seriously.  Time and again the castaways were given a way out only to have their escape dashed.  Mostly by the ineptitude of the title character, Gilligan.  Programs like this can be popular.  The storyline is the same.  The characters are thrust into a difficult and impossible situation and the audience is emotionally committed to seeing them come out of it.  The hope of victory amid adversity is a popular storyline.  With the saint, it is not the storyline.  It is the reality of our relationship with God.  He will deliver and He does give hope.  Always!

As long as there is God, there is light and hope.  Of this, there is no doubt.  The Bible is clear here.  When it involves our sin, the LORD does not want us to go down into the pit of guilt, shame, and defeat.  He wants to deliver and He wants to give hope.  This is His heart.  But the same can be said of our trials of faith.  Yes, they are no fun.  We wish they were over.  We wish they would come to an end.  The reasons they do not as soon as we would wish are many.  Perhaps the LORD is using your hardship to reveal His greatness to others who do not know Him.  Perhaps He is trying to grow your faith.  Or, maybe there is something in your life that needs correcting.  Maybe it is to learn to empathize with others who may eventually go through the same identical trial God is bringing you through.  Whatever the reason, the end is still the same.  There is light and there is hope.  God has not given up on you.  He hasn’t put you on a shelf.  He hasn’t lost the ability to see you through it.  As long as there is a God, there is hope and light.  There truly is!

P.S.  Just one day left and I have a $20 gift card burning a whole in my pocket!  If you can convince the most new people to become followers of this blog, this gift card is yours.  Have them click the 'follow' button to the right.  If they are using a mobile browser, have them scroll to the bottom, click on 'view web version' and then do the same.  To be eligible, your signees must leave a comment and mention your name.  Winner will be announced Monday.    

Patience With Youth

“But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.” (Job 30:1 AV)

It always bothered me why Job put up with the nonsense of his four friends.  Why does he suffer those who accuse him of things that are not true?  Why does he tolerate counselors of no comfort?  What does he allow this unabated cruelty to spew forth from their lips?  Why does he even bother to answer their opinions with truth and fact?  Why not simply dismiss them all and send them back from where they came?  What drives Job to patiently answer each of their accusations?  Not me!  I would have had enough!  I would have escorted them off the property and never spoken to them again.  At least until they were willing to apologize for their gross behavior.  Job goes further than this.  When God restores him, he offers sacrifices for his friends lest God be angry with them.  Again, why?  The answer is found above.  His three friends are younger, less experienced, not as wise as Job, and lack the sophistication that comes with age.  Job takes pity on a generation that has not yet grown up.  They are cocky and full of themselves.  This leads them to say all sorts of foolish things.  Job’s grace is greater than their youthful arrogance.

It is easy to forget the days of our youth.  As we age, we forget we were just like they are.  We were full of ourselves and had all the answers.  Praise the LORD some wiser people took pity on us.  This reminds me of my Grandfather Gerwitz.  Grandpa G had a demeanor that said, “I love life and know how to laugh at most of it.”  You would think someone with this type of personality could not be taken seriously.  At the very least, he may not be someone to whom you would go for advice.  Yet, you would be wrong.  I remember the days when my father was in full control of his life.  He had many children, a good job, a loving wife, and a house to fit us all in.  I watched as my father and his father interacted.  There was something there that was hard to explain.  I saw the self-assuredness of my rocket-scientist father interact with his mail-man father.  Clearly, on paper, my father was the greater man.  But not really.  My Grandfather was a tremendously wise man.  He graciously loved his son and helped him in any way he could.  There was a day when Dad was really strapped for finances and Grandpa, who was extremely fiscally disciplined, would help out.  There were times when the tenseness of our family was easily dissolved by my Grandfather’s presence.  He was a gracious and wonderful soul who knew how to put life in any situation.  As he got older, the smiles didn’t come as frequently.  Age took its toll.  But the calm and assured demeanor he had always won the day.  He never lost his patience, raised his voice, or severely rebuked us grandchildren.  He put up with eleven kids running around his house and yard yet still maintained the air of the wisest man in the room.

It is easy to forget how we once were.  It is easy to lose patience with those who are immature.  Perhaps taking a moment or two, understanding we were once just like that.  Perhaps understanding the spirit of Job which he exercised toward his friends.  Maybe seeing it as an opportunity to drop a word of wisdom here and there.  Not an all-out assault.  That would never go over well.  But maybe an insightful and thought-provoking question that would help others to mature into that which God would have them to be.  We have to remember, what may seem like disrespect may be a way for them to figure things out.  This cycle repeats itself with every generation.  They will one day be in our shoes and have to do the same thing for a less mature generation.  It is the way of human development.  So, we can all show a little more patience.  We can all help those who may not know as much as they think they do to see things as they should.  This is our challenge.  This is their future.

P.S. This month will come to a close in just a few days.  So, too, will the chance to win a $20 gift card.  Have your friends or family become followers of this blog and you could be the winner.  Have them click the blue 'follow' button to the right.  If using a mobile browser, they need to scroll to the bottom, click on 'view web version', and do the same.  Winner will be announced Monday.  BTW, they need to mention you in a comment so we know who it was that steered them our way.

God The Peacemaker

“Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.” (Job 25:2 AV)

Even though Job’s friend meant this as a hint, it is still a good statement.  He was inferring that Job needed to get right with God.  He suggested that God controls all things and the things that happened to him happened because of disobedience.  The only relief Job could get, he states, is to find peace through sacrifice and prayer.  Again, as Job’s friends all did, they misunderstood Job’s trouble, accusing him of not being right with God.  They were so wrong.  Be that as it may, the verse above is an encouraging one.  In particular, God makes peace in His high places.  God makes peace!  What a thought.  We know this does not apply to Job because God was not at odds with Job.  At least not in this instance.  It does apply to all of us at one time or another.  God makes peace.  He seeks peace.  He pursues peace.  He invites peace.  He does not wish to war.  He wishes to exist in peace and communion with all His creation.  He will not force peace.  But He does desire it.  And He makes peace!

It takes a special kind of compassion to seek peace as the authority figure.  Not so much as the subject.  Over the years, I have had church members who were at odds with me over something that I didn’t do.  They were at odds with God and I happen to be the magnet that attracted that animosity.  As a leader, one might be tempted to assert authority and attempt to humble such a person.  But that is rarely the best course of action.  They hate God.  Not me.  So, in these cases, it is incumbent upon me to bridge the gap they have caused.  I must take the extra step, go the extra mile, or give the extra sacrifice so that our relationship can be repaired.  It might take a simple text.  Or, perhaps a card in the mail.  A stop or two over at their house to simply visit without bringing up whatever offense they may have imagined.  Then there is always the olive branch of coffee or a meal.  Anything I can do to seek peace when I am not the one who waged war is a special compassion we all should pursue.  To do so is to understand God’s point of view when it comes to our offenses.

We are the ones who created the gap between ourselves and God.  We are the ones who made God our enemy.  We are the ones who strain our relationship with God every time we cease to please Him.  We are the ones who should seek peace.  Yet, the above verse tells us that even though we are at fault, it is God that seeks peace.  After all, He sent His Son to die for us.  He took the initiative.  He made the overture.  He is the one who extended the olive branch even though we are the ones who caused the problem.  He has dominion, which means He is the one in control.  He is not obligated to make things right with us.  He owes us nothing.  Yet, He is the one taking pains to repair something we have broken.  This is not limited to salvation only.  When we are saved and offend a holy God, He again takes pains to encourage us toward peace.  The indwelling Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit so that we might repent and welcome the peace offered by the blood of Christ.  His mercies never fail.  He is ready to forgive and repeatedly offers His children the opportunity to accept that mercy by simple repentance.  What a truly compassionate and loving God we serve!

P.S. Sunday will get here before you know it.  There is still a $20 gift card out there to win.  If you can convince the most people to become a follower of this blog, the gift card is yours.  Have them click the blue 'follow' button to the right.  If using a mobile browser, tell them to scroll to the bottom, click 'view web version', and do the same.  Have them leave a comment and tell us it was you would steered them to this blog.  Winner will be announced Monday!

Not For Long

“Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,  That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?” (Job 20:4,5 AV)

 What and encouraging thought. Again, Zophar applied this to Job.  Because Job was suffering, he assumed Job was the wicked or the hypocrite spoken of in the above verse.  Zophar assumed because Job was suffering, God was cutting him short.  He assumed the triumphing of Job ended because he was a hypocrite.  This is so false it is offensive.  And Job says as much when it is his turn to speak again.  Even though this truth does not apply to Job, it does apply to others.  In the following chapter, Job observes that the wicked and the hypocrite do indeed enjoy a rather prosperous life.  They are not always cut down in this life.  His counter-argument is the wicked and hypocrites are not always judged in this life.  But judgment is coming.  This is what we wish to consider this morning.  We want to be encouraged that no matter how much the wicked and hypocritical advance, it will not always be this way.  Jesus is coming and there is nothing the wicked can do to stop it.  This is our hope.

Watching the news, one cannot help but feel the wicked are advancing and the righteous are losing.  The longer the human race is continued to advance with no challenge to their agenda, it would seem we are all headed for a reality of misery and woe. If we are not careful, we will get sucked up into a mindset of hopelessness.  We will begin to lose faith that things will ever get better.  We will assume the wicked have won and there is nothing the righteous can do.  It is not that we expect life to be perfect.  We know better.  But at least we would hope to be left alone.  We want to preach and live as our conscience dictates.  But that is not what the wicked want.  It is not enough for them to live as they please.  Their conscience will not allow it.  They see the righteous as the enemy of their conflicted conscience, so they lash out.  They think that canceling us will make them feel better.  If only all those Christians will go away, then we can finally be happy because our consciences will no longer haunt us, they think.  Little do they know that there is coming a day when we will all be gone.  At least for a brief time.  But that will not make them any happier because the problem is and always will be, their conscience under conviction by God.  Not us.  Nevertheless, we can get downtrodden by the battle that is waged against us.  We can think the wrong side is winning.  And that may be temporarily true.  But the wicked and hypocrite cannot altar eternity.

Jesus is coming back and no protest, legislation, or court decision can change that.  He is returning on a white horse to wage war with those who hate and despise Him.  Those who rejected His selfless gift by a cruel cross unto salvation will be judged and dispatched.  There will be no mercy for those who do not want mercy.  All the pride that runs so freely in our streets will be subject to the King of kings who values humility over arrogance.  All the unrepentant baby killers and child mutilators will be judged for their wickedness.  All those who flaunt their self-determination against the Creator who made them will pay a price.  All those who believe themselves to be righteous in their own eyes because they showed tolerance towards those who blatantly hate God will see what true compassion looks like.  All those who made merchandise of men with their selfishness will have to account for it.  In short, Jesus is coming back and the truth of the above verse will be obvious.  The wick and the hypocrite will not triumph forever.  Their end is coming.  And sooner than we might think.

P.S.  In case you didn't notice, Sunday is the 30th of April.  The last day of our contest.  The $20 gift card is still up for grabs.  If you can convince the most people to become a follower of this blog, then the gift card is yours.  Have them click the blue 'follow' button to the right, or if they are using a mobile browser, scroll to the bottom, click on 'view web version' and then do the same.  Winner will be announced Monday.

Neighborly Intercession

“O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!” (Job 16:21 AV)

Job meant this as a criticism.  His three friends were full of advice and judgment on Job’s situation.  They were not treating him as a friend or neighbor would.  They never offered to pray with him.  They say quiet and didn’t say a word for a week.  This was supposed to show empathy for Job and his situation.  Yet, when it came to the words and thoughts they shared, they were anything but friends.  Job’s criticism here is well-founded.  His wish was that instead of offering advice of no value, or worse, very hurtful, they might entreat God for him as though they loved him.  I will not dwell on the treatment Job received, but rather, the universal application of praying for others as you would entreat for neighbors.  This application was brought home to me while the LORD had me pastor in the south.  In that culture, people are far more involved with the needs and lives of their neighbors.  No one lived as an island unto himself.  They care for and watch over each other.  It is part of their culture.

When I lived in Kentucky, I only had one next-door neighbor.  His name was David.  David and I talked a lot.  When we were both outside, we would spend hours visiting.  When he had a need, I helped.  When I had a need, he did likewise.  One summer, David came down with shingles.  From what I understood, it can be very painful.  David could mow his yard alright.  What he had a time with was all the other yard work he had to do.  In particular, David had a tree or two to trim.  Getting the ladder out, working the chainsaw, and dragging them to the burn pile was not something he could do.  There was also the time he needed to take down an old aerial TV antenna.  My son and I helped him get it down and into our dumpster.  David would check on me when we had a heavy rain storm.  Our basement became an indoor swimming pool.  The point is, that is what neighbors do.  My soul-winning buddy and I were out last spring and came upon a family trying to remove an old metal awning from the front of the house.  I could tell they were headed for an accident if they didn’t get help.  We propped up the awning so that when it came loose from the house, it simply slid down twelve-foot-long boards.  That is what neighbors do.  That is what neighbors are.

Job wishes his friends would come to his rescue by praying for him as a neighbor would rescue his neighbor.  Another Southern tradition is neighborliness in times of deep distress.  A serious illness will see many neighbors and friends bring food to the afflicted.  A death in the family means days of non-stop visitors bringing flowers, food, or financial assistance.  There is a responsibility and bond between people who share the day.  This is all Job wants.  He wants those who are with him to entreat God like they would someone with whom they share their lives.  We can do the same.  When we see someone in distress, pray for them.  When they are in need, meet the need, but don’t forget to pray for them.  We should pray for one another as though we are kin.  Because we are.  We are related by the blood of Christ.  That being the case, we should entreat from one another as though we have lived next to one another our entire lives.  We should care.  We should empathize with the troubles others face.  And we should assault the throne of God for them.

P.S. Just five days left to win a $20 gift card.  If you are the one mentioned the most as having introduced new followers to this blog, the gift card is yours.  Have your friends click the blue 'follow' button to the right or if they are reading via a mobile web browser, have them scroll to the bottom, click 'view web version' and do the same.  Winner will be announced at the end of the month.

The Reality Of Life

“Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1 AV)

We know Job uttered these words while in a state of deep depression.  He had lost his children, his material wealth, and his health.  All within a matter of a few days.  The words about are quite normal for someone who is having the worst day of his life.  While in deep grief, he states the obvious.  Our days are full of trouble and are short.  We understand we are commanded to rejoice always.  We know that Paul instructs we ask in thanksgiving all that we need from God.  The thing is, we cannot live our lives in the belief that our lives can be trouble-free.  Trouble is part of life.  We live in a sinful world and we suffer for the choices of ourselves and others.  We live in a world cursed by Adam’s sin.  This is our existence.  This is our life.  This is our reality.  The thought occurred to me that we don’t like to accept this truth.  Our entire culture looks for ways in which life can be easier or more perfect.  They are forever struggling after nirvana.  This makes for a generation that cannot accept the challenges of life.  They cannot adapt to hardships.  They recoil at trouble.  The quicker we accept that life cannot be perfect,  the easier it is to live in perpetual joy.

My wife and I watch a bit of T.V. before we retire for the night.  Usually, it is YouTube videos of one sort or another.  We enjoy a good Barbershop Quartet ballad, a product review, or a short on self-protection.  Recently, we have been watching comedians.  Not the perverse ones.  We watch the morally upright ones.  One of them is a critique of the Southern culture by the Southern culture.  It is rather funny.  My latest joy comes from watching older comedians elaborate on the humorous life of becoming older.  There was one fella in his mid-seventies who gave example after example of how his wit gets him in trouble all the time.  Especially when those with whom he is dealing cannot comprehend what an older person faces on any given day.  He explained the humor of going through a TSA inspection line at the airport.  The questions they ask and the answers they expect are funny to someone in their mid-seventies.  Another was the checkout clerk at a drug store that wanted proof of age before she would sell him something illegal for minors.  You have to find the humor in trouble or you can go crazy.  I remember my first colonoscopy.  I found it hilarious that they would have a waiting room full of people first thing the morning with people who had been drinking prep all night.  I tried to make a joke with the doctor right before I went under.  He didn’t think it was so funny.

The point is, ‘trouble’ is our middle name.  We can expect to have to say goodbye to people whom we love.  The older we get, we can expect unpleasant medical tests, procedures, treatments, and diagnoses.  Our cars break down.  Our houses need repairs.  Friends move away.  Our pay is cut.  We get cursed at, we get cut off in traffic, and the coupon we had been planning to use is expired.  We can’t help but see anything but bad news whenever the news comes on.   Our children get deathly ill.  Our parents pass away.  We get older and lonelier.  There is no changing this.  Eternity is our great equalizer.  The quicker we can accept this life as full of trouble, the quicker we can seek the hand of the One who can make it easier.   We cannot bury our heads in the sand hoping it all goes away.  It will not.  It is here as long as we breathe air.  What we do have is an ever-present God who loves us and cares for us.  He is with us through it all.  In the end, we are caught up to glory never to suffer again.  We cannot wish away trouble.  We cannot pray it away.  Trouble is what makes us stronger.  Trouble is what teaches us that life is not about us.  Trouble is the master that shapes a submissive will.  Trouble is necessary.  Trouble is good.  Trouble may hurt for the time being, but it will produce faith and holiness in the end.

P.S.  Only seven days remaining.  If you could use a $20 gift card, then encourage your friends and family to follow this blog.  Have them click the blue 'follow' button to the right.  Or, if they are reading from a mobile browser, then scroll to the bottom, click on 'view web version' and do the same.  Have them mention you in a comment as you could be the winner.  Result will be published the first of June.

He'll See You Through This

“Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.” (Job 10:12 AV)

It is amazing how many times Job utters statements of hope amid his despair, only to forget them as he continues his complaint.  He makes this statement and doesn’t realize just how true it is.  He is processing all that he has gone through.  He is not suicidal, but he does wish he had never been born.  He has almost given up and does not realize the reason he has not given up is stated above.  It is God that is keeping him from the ultimate sinful decision.  He speaks this truth and does not take the time to meditate upon it.  God has preserved his life.  God has given him friends and a wife.  God will restore all that he has lost.  There will be more cattle.  There will be more camels.  Others will come and work for him.  God isn’t done with Job just yet.  Even though his life as he knew it came to an end, God still loves him and desires to bless him.  What Job needs to do is stop and think really hard about what the Spirit led him to say.  His hope is in God.  Not in an explanation.

I have been there.  Once in my life, I suffered from deep depression.  I didn’t want to live.  I was willing myself to stop breathing.  Too many losses and failures all came at the same time.  I felt I could not continue one more moment.  But God got me through it.  I cannot remember those days of recovery.  I cannot remember the steps that I took.  All I knew was one bright sunny day, I saw the puffy white clouds and my destination any way I could get there.  What should have been a beautiful day to me was a day of darkness and hopelessness.  Then over the months that followed, slowly the LORD brought me out of it.  Just as Job said, He preserved my spirit.  It was low, no doubt.  But it was not extinguished.  It was empty, but it still remained.  Over the months and years that followed, God became the light and life of my spirit.  Not every day was a good day.  Over the months and years that followed, there were more good days than bad days.  Slowly and steadily, God was able to take my empty spirit, sustain it, and build it back.

What I am trying to say is if you are a saint who struggles with despondency, God can sustain your spirit.  He can!  I know He can!  Our Father is far more capable of getting you through the deep waters than anyone else can.  He can feed your spirit.  He can heal your spirit.  He can repair your spirit.  He can grow your spirit.  Like Elijah in the wilderness, God meets us where we are.  He will sustain us with a trickle of water enough for the day.  Ravens will bring bread from heaven a little at a time.  Over the weeks, months, and years that follow, you will notice an upward trend.  GOD DID IT!  Job didn’t stay in the spirit which he expresses above.  He came out of it because he realized as bad as his circumstances were, his friends had it a whole lot worse.  Their remarks required sacrifice.  Job offered sacrifice for his friends because sin lay at the door.  Not Job!  He never did sin with his lips.  Even in his despair, he chose to trust God.  This was his saving grace.  God met him, strengthened him, and used him to help others.  Listen, no matter how difficult life may get, God is always bigger.  He will maintain your spirit if you yield to Him and allow Him to.  Don’t give in to the despair that is around you.  Sitting and listening to the Spirit is sufficient for the day.  He will preserve you. I promise.

P.S. Only one week left. There is a $20 gift card out there for the one who encourages their friends to follow this blog.  Tell them to click on the blue 'follow' button to the right. Or, if reading from a mobile device, scroll to the bottom, click 'view web version' and do the same.  Have them leave a comment mentioning your name.  Winner will be announced next Monday.

When It Rains, It Pours

“I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” (Job 3:26 AV)

Job thought the normal trials of life were sufficient.  He was not looking for a perfect life.  When Job fell into a deep depression, it wasn’t over the things of life anyone would expect.  He would expect attacks from enemies.  Just not a coordinated attack that saw all his wealth stolen and servants killed.  He would expect sleepless nights.  After all, he had ten children who seemed not to care all that much of the things of God. Job would regularly offer sacrifice for his children on the outside chance they sinned and failed to repent by offering sacrifice themselves.  In the course of life, there were probably more troubles and trials than someone of his means experienced.  He was the wealthiest man in the area and no doubt had many concerns as he tried to maintain such an enterprise.  Job experiences are what we all experience.  However, Satan was allowed to take everything, kill everyone, and afflict Job with disease.  His question is one we all ask.  Our lives are not perfect.  We have trouble on every side.  Isn’t it enough?  If the normal troubles of life are sufficient to guide us into Christlikeness, why more?  What would God allow hardship when we already experience it?

There’s an expression we use.  When it rains it pours.  It seems the origin of the phrase is British.  Some surmise that in the UK, when it rains, it rarely drizzles or rains steadily.  When it rains, quite literally, it pours.  The first appearance of this phrase in print is in the eighteenth century.  The phrase took off in America with the Morton Salt company’s use of it in ads.  To this day, on the front of their iconic blue packaging is a picture of a girl with an umbrella pouring salt as it rains.  The idea was Morton Salt will pour freely even in damp weather.  Apart from using it as Morton Salt Company used it, the idiom had the meaning that when something happens, good or bad, it usually happens in access.  When one bad thing happens, much will follow.  There is never a single isolated event.  I imagine that is how Job felt.  He had trouble on every side.  Yet more trouble came.

I do not fault Job for his remarks.  Even throughout the entire book.  Job is trying to process what happened.  He is sharing how he feels.  How he feels is not an accurate picture of reality.  He cannot see his situation from God’s perspective.  Had he been able to do so, he may have fared better through his trial.  The statement above is one common to all of us.  We are overburdened with the trials of life and think we have had enough.  Then comes more.  We think our struggles are sufficient for whatever it is the LORD wishes to teach us.  The presence of more trials would say otherwise.  We cannot control much of life.  It is out of our hands and in the hand of God.  We cannot control the weather.  We cannot control the actions of others.   We cannot control our failing health (at least for the most part).  We will all pass from this life to the next.  We cannot control the boss’s decisions, the government’s actions, or our neighbor’s opinions.  There is much out of our control.  It is all in God’s hands.  That means whatever we might be suffering, it is for our own good and God’s glory.  Again, I don’t fault Job.  I would have felt the same way.  And, I am sure I have in the past.  But we can learn from him.  We can learn that God knows what He is doing and that whatever we case is not beyond His attention.  Faith is the key.  We must believe that God loves us and cares for us and whatever it is He allows He has done so for a reason.  P.S. We can probably handle far more than we think we are capable of.

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Grown-up Words

“But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10 AV)

I deeply admire Job.  For someone to lose as much as he did and respond as seen above takes character and faith known to only a few.  He lost all his material wealth.  He lost all his sons.  And he lost his health.  The only remaining part of his life he had remaining was a wife that wanted him to curse God and die.  The response above was from Job to his wife.  To say the above and mean it with one’s whole heart takes more faith than I can understand.  There is absolute surrender behind those words.  There is a resolute spirit to accept whatever God has in store, good or bad, as more than one deserves.  The underlying truth of the statement is what I wish to ponder this morning.  For Job to utter those words took tremendous maturity. For the most part, we are glad when God blesses us.  But if God were to allow just the opposite, we throw temper tantrums.  If we have a stretch of glorious weather, then a few days of rain appear, and we begin to complain.  Like Jonah who complained when the gourd dried up, we happily accept the good at God’s hand.  When the unfortunate happens, we react like the immature children we are.

Last week, we had weather in the 80s.  This was shortly after a freak snow storm.  No gradual warm-up.  It was like we went from winter to summer.  Now, the weather is going back down into the forties.  Last Saturday, the temperature was in the low 80s.  Sunday, it barely got to fifty.  I remember this so well because I greeted a church attender and we talked a bit while waiting on others to show.  Weather is always a good thing to talk about.  It is something we all experience.  The conversation was along the lines of the unseasonably warm weather we were having.  Looking at the ten-day forecast, we knew it wouldn’t last.  Oddly enough, we were not complaining about the hot weather.  For this time of year, it is hard to live with.  It is still too cold to put the air conditioners in the windows.  So the house gets a bit warm.  No complaints, though.  We knew it would not last long.  As soon as we get used to short-sleeved shirts, the weatherman would predict a wintry mix.  Life is like the weather.  There are good days and bad days.  Most are average.  We cannot complain about the bad days while we enjoy the good days.  They are all of the LORD.  God has made the day and we should rejoice in it.

It is hard sometimes to live with the reality that God knows what He is doing.  Job certainly had a hard time with it.  His statement above did not keep him from grief.  In fact, the last verse in chapter two of Job tells us his friends sat silently with Job for a week because he was in deep grief.  This tells me even though Job remarked above, and meant it, he didn’t fully appreciate the truth of it until God met with him in a very obvious way.  The maturity to utter such a phrase may not match the ability to live it.  Job knew he had no standing to complain.  He knew God was just and right.  He knew he deserved nothing of God’s grace.  He knew all that.  Processing it was something different.  Starting where Job started is a good place to start.  Accepting the circumstances of life as from God knowing He has a purpose for them is a good place to be.  It is the beginning and not the end of the process of dealing with the evil times of the LORD.

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Leaving Behind Integrity

“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” (Pr 20:7 AV)

There are two things of note here.  Both are related to one another.  The first is the way we live does impact our children.  If we live in our integrity, it rubs off on those who we raise.  Integrity has natural blessings as a result.  If we live with integrity, we leave behind a heritage for our children to follow.  But we also leave behind the blessings that resulted from our choices.  Then there is a second truth I see here.  Note Solomon does not say his children’s children are blessed after him.  The example of integrity only goes one generation.  Each generation is responsible to leave character to the next generation as their inheritance from a faithful parent.  Each parent must decide how he or she will live for the sake of the children.  Even though there are godly grandparents out there, it will be the parent that influences the future of their child.

I can brag on my dad quite a bit here.  He wasn’t the perfect father.  There is no such thing.  I certainly was and am not perfect.  My father did many things right.  But if I were to boil them down to one character trait that is elevated above the rest it would have to be his integrity.  When my father was convinced of the rightness of a thing, there was nothing that would discourage him to live by that tenant.  It didn’t matter what it was.  If he was convinced it was right or wrong, that was the end of it and there was no compromise with it.  I have told many stories of events in his life that reflect his character.  So many examples, but I will choose one in particular.  As a scoutmaster, he did not believe in shortcuts.  If the manual or rules mandated something was to be done a certain way, that was exactly how we were going to do it.  Without deviation!  We were one of the only troops that did not adapt and compromise during competitions.  Other troops would skirt the rules, but not my Dad.  If we were to hike five miles for a merit badge, the distance wouldn’t be one yard short of it.  If there were ten knots we needed to tie, ten it was.  If there was a meal to cook outdoors, it would be from scratch.  There was no compromising with him.  If it was right, it was right.

How we choose to live our lives impacts those who follow.  There is no getting around that.  One preacher once said, “That which we allow in moderation, our children will allow in access.”  My father knew this.  I was faithful to church every Sunday no matter what.  Serious illness was the only excuse.  The weather did not keep us from church.  Minor illnesses did not keep us from church.  Employment did not keep us from church.  If we do not live by our integrity, we will curse the following generation.  And they just might curse the grandchildren.  If we are a parent, we cannot lean on the integrity of our parents to raise our children.  It must come from us.  This is the warning.  But this is also our encouragement.  If we live for the LORD, it will matter to our children.  If they live for the LORD, it will matter to our grandchildren.

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Self-determination Is Misleading

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” (Pr 19:21 AV)

We like options.  We like to think we are in control.  Yet, we are only in control to the extent God allows us to be.  This is the meaning of the proverb above.  No doubt, Solomon is giving sound advice to his son who will more than likely, sit on his throne.  The king might have a greater degree of deception in thinking he is the sovereign of his own life.  He may make decisions that in his mind, are an exercise of complete self-determination.  Because he commands an army and governs kingdoms, he may think he is far more able to command his own life.  This is not the case. As Solomon shares with him, you might imagine all sorts of things, but you can only do what God allows.  This rule applies to us all.  We have a misguided idea of self-determination.  We think we have absolute liberty to make whatever decisions we wish to make.  It may even appear that way.  But God has not thrown in the towel.  His is still in control.  He may allow us to make some, and maybe even most, decisions, but He is in control of the options.

It is interesting how much a child thinks he or she has the freedom to do as they please.  What they do not realize, is that Mom and Dad have removed the ability to make certain choices they would otherwise make.  We put things too dangerous for them out of reach.  We serve them a meal with that which we want them to eat and hide what might be tempting them to choose otherwise.  As they grow, we might fill their day with responsibilities or activities to limit the choices of other, more harmful choices.  My father encouraged us to get our driver’s licenses as soon as we were legally allowed to drive.  Instead of giving us keys to the car with no restrictions, he sent us on errands so we experienced the responsibility and freedom of driving, yet without the temptation to go places we shouldn’t go.  I have had diverticulitis.  This is not comfortable.  It was hard to walk.  Several rounds of very potent antibiotics later, I learned I may have the liberty to eat popcorn, but I don’t have the freedom to.  When it came to marrying my wife, there were other single girls at church.  Yet it was Lisa who was the LORD’s will for me.

I have seen many people make decisions God did not want them to make because they felt they had the freedom to do so.  Consequences would speak otherwise.  The ungodly pass it off as bad luck or bad karma.  We may assume one choice to be no better or worse than another.  Yet God does have a plan.  He will execute it.  He will limit opportunities.  He will craft circumstances.  He will provide blessings.  He will show mercy.  He will guide us in the right way.  He will use our life regardless of what we do.  All is for His glory and even though we do have freedom of choice, we have this because God allows it.  We are responsible to make the choices He would desire.  If not, He is obligated to reveal those choices to be the wrong ones.  I guess what Solomon is driving at is to instruct his children of the misnomer of complete self-determination.  It does not exist.  We are what we are and have done what we have done because God allows it.  We may have many ideas or dreams, but the whole disposing of it is of the LORD.  He has been in control.  He is in control.  And, He will always be in control.

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