A Study in Job part ten

 

The truth is, the best of us deserve wrath and Hell. The only reason that we are still drawing breath is that He is good, kind, and that He’s rich in mercy. Job knew this. Bible commentator Matthew Henry said of him:

“The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin; but this child of God he tormented with affliction, and then tempted to make a bad use of his affliction. He provoked Job to curse God. The disease was very grievous. If at any time we are tried with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt with otherwise than as God sometimes deals with the best of his saints and servants. Job humbled himself under the mighty hand of God, and brought his mind to his condition. His wife was spared to him, to be a troubler and tempter to him. Satan still endeavors to draw men from God, as he did our first parents, by suggesting hard thoughts of Him, than which nothing is more false. But Job resisted and overcame the temptation.”

Tragedy struck the hardest of blows to poor Job. He had lost his servants, his wealth, and he had lost his beloved children, despite the fact that he had so diligently sanctified them, such was his love and concern for their happiness. Now they were gone.

Continued Monday...

A Study in Job part nine

 

Jesus warned that the storms of this life fall on the just and the unjust:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-26).

The difference between the two is seen in whether or not the house falls.

Everything good we have comes from God—the rain, the sunshine, our health, our food, cute kittens, super-cute puppies, beautiful babies, pure white driven snow, deep blue sea filled with tasty fish, cool water to drink, succulent fruit to eat, and fresh air to breathe: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). However, instead of having a heart-felt thankfulness to God for all these undeserved blessings, this wicked world ignores His will, blasphemes His name, kills unborn children, fornicates and commits adultery, glorifies pornography, mocks the Word of God, promotes homosexuality, despises His gospel, and says that evolution gave us all these blessings of life. But the irony is that when tragedy strikes, they intuitively remember God and ask, “What did I do to deserve this?”

Continued tomorrow...

A Study in Job part eight

 

Modern prosperity preachers set people up for a fall when the promise that those who trust in Jesus will have a life that is problem free. We don’t have to look too far to find some Christian who is going through a Job experience. In a moment of time, the godliest of us can lose savings, get a terminal disease, be involved in a serious car accident, or be the victims of violent crime, and have our lives irreparably shattered. This is not negative talk or the speech of unbelief. It is both biblical and reality in a fallen creation. We don’t live in dread of the future, but neither do we live in a world of make believe.

I know of a most respected pastor of a large church whose precious wife has serious Alzheimer’s. He has lost the love of his life. He also has lung cancer. They are both elderly, and bar a miracle in this life, their future looks very bleak. But as godly people, according to Romans 8:28 their dark experience is working for their good. They are going through it today, there’s a possibility that you and I may go through a fiery trial tomorrow:

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you…” (1 Peter 4:12).

Lord of Hosts

The title “LORD of Hosts” (used 46 times in the book of Zecharaiah) means that all created agencies and forces are under the leadership or dominion of God, who not only made them, but maintains them (see Gen. 2:1; Isa. 45:12). Notice that God tells sinners that if they will forsake their evil ways and deeds and turn to Him, He will turn to them. This was the case with the prodigal son. After leaving the pigsty, he found that his father was waiting for him to return (see Luke 15:20).

Zecheriah 1:3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return tto Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.

In saying an eye for an eye the Bible condones taking the law into your own hands

This verse, in Mat 5:38, is so often misquoted by the world. Many believe it is giving a license to take matters into our own hands and render evil for evil. However, these are judgments for civil law and not revenge for personal grievances. The spirit of what Jesus is saying here is radically different from the “sue the shirt off the back of your neighbor” society in which we live.

God’s Word is practical. It makes sense that if someone destroys another’s property, he should make restitution. Nowadays, criminals often destroy property and go to jail without paying any restitution. The victims remain uncompensated for their losses. So if someone steals your ox, he is to restore the ox. If someone steals and wrecks your car, he is to buy you another one...a car for a car, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

Only God is Free

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Galatians 5:1
To any human who bothers to think a bit, it should be evident that there is in our society no such thing as absolute freedom—for only God is free!

It is inherent in creaturehood that its freedom must be limited by the will of the Creator and the nature of the thing created. Freedom is liberty within bounds, liberty to obey holy laws, liberty to keep the commandments of Christ, to serve mankind, to develop to the full all the latent possibilities within our redeemed natures. True Christian liberty never sets us free to indulge our lusts or to follow our fallen impulses.

On earth, a healthy society requires that its members accept a limited freedom. Each must curtail his own liberty that all may be free, and this law runs throughout all of the created universe, including the kingdom of God.

The glory of heaven itself lies in the character of the freedom enjoyed by those who dwell therein! -A. W. Tozer

Lord, today I pray for the members of the churches in my community. Empower them (and myself) to curb their “fallen impulses” and to be a bright beacon in the midst of a dark society.

A Study in Job part seven

A friend once told me that he had had a terrible morning. His car broke down, and he had to go to the expense of renting a vehicle to get to work and the hassle of getting his repaired. But then his eyes lit up with joy as he told me that he had bumped into a man at the repair shop who listened intently as the gospel was shared. The man had been prepared by God for this conversation. My friend was convinced that it was a divine encounter, and it made sense of the morning’s hassle.

Often the Christian doesn’t have to look too far to see God’s hand in life’s trials. God promises to work all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). So I, in a semi-jest cynically responded to my friend Scotty, “So what was the purpose of Job’s experience, as he sat in misery covered with sore boils from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet? Was he holding a gospel tract and looking for some divine encounter?” I couldn’t see too much light in Job’s long and dark experience, other than the divine revelation that he was vile, and I knew that there was a less painful way to get that.

Scotty smiled and said, “Are you kidding? Millions have taken comfort from Job’s experience.” It was a “duh” moment for me. It was true! Millions of people have found consolation in their sufferings because of the Book of Job. The Maker of the universe looked into the future to the day when billions of copies of the Bible would be printed and bring light to those who find themselves in terrible darkness. Job had no idea how much good would come from such suffering. He didn’t know that he would be admired down and preached and written about through the ages:

“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:9-11, NKJV).

He had no idea that he would become one of the greatest heroes of the best-selling book of all time, which would be published more than 3,000 years after his dreadful experience.

Continued tomorrow...

I am repenting, but it's not working!- Ask Pastor Tim Conway

Make sure to 'like' us on Facebook, and become a 'Follower' here, or sign up for email notifications on the bottom right of this page. As always, thanks for stopping by, and may God bless you!-Walking In The Way

Win many crowns

“Aspire to be something more than the mass of church members. Lift up your cry to God and beseech him to fire you with a nobler ambition than that which possesses the common Christian—that you may be found faithful unto God at the last, and may win many crowns for your Lord and Master, Christ.” Charles Spurgeon

1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ tat His coming?

The Value of Your Soul

Jesus said that your soul is worth more than the rest of the world put together. He asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). It is impossible for us to grasp what is meant by “the whole world.” For this is not only the physical world or the geographical world. It includes the business world, the scientific world, the intellectual world. Jesus said that the soul is worth more than all the world.

Why is your soul so valuable? First, the value of your soul is measured by its eternal quality. It will never die. You are going to live forever. Your body will die, but your soul, the part of you that is made in the image of God, will never die. Your soul—your spirit—will live forever. It is that part of you that has understanding and wisdom.

Many people have knowledge, but they don’t have wisdom. The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). A great British historian said some years ago, “Man, by his knowledge, has brought himself to total annihilation.”

Knowledge without God and without wisdom is very dangerous. That’s one of the problems in the world today. We have a lot of knowledge; we have a lot of learning, but the Bible says you can be “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). We lack the wisdom to use our knowledge.

Your soul is that part of you that has judgment. It makes decisions—moral decisions—what is good and what is bad. Your soul also involves your will. Your will chooses or rejects things that are brought before it. Your soul is that part of you that has emotion, like love and fear. It has memory—the mental capacity for storing up knowledge of ideas and events. There is something down inside us that is beyond science to know. The Bible calls it soul or spirit.

We tend to put all of our emphasis on the body with its pleasures and its physical appetites. But the soul also has appetites. The soul longs for God. Down deep inside every person’s heart is a cry for something, but he doesn’t quite know what it is. Man is a worshiping creature. He instinctively knows that there is something out there somewhere, and he longs to know that something or someone. Your soul longs for vital contact with God. Your soul is valuable because it is eternal—it is forever.

Second, the value of your soul is measured by the devil’s interest in it. Jesus said the devil is the prince of this world. He is the god of this age. The devil is greatly at work in our world, and he is after your soul.

God created a perfect world. He and man were friends. God never meant that there would be suffering and war and death. But Satan came. He was a mighty angel, possibly the greatest of all of God’s created beings, and he rebelled against God.

When God built the earth, He put humans in charge of the earth. God wanted someone in the universe whom He could love and who would return love to Him. So He gave man freedom of choice. God said to man, “I put one tree in this garden—you are not to eat its fruit. If you eat it, you will suffer and die” (Cf. Genesis 3:3). God was testing man. He gave man the freedom of will.

But the devil told man, “God doesn’t mean what he says. You’re not going to die. If you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will be as great as God” (Cf. Genesis 3:4-6). So Eve ate the fruit first and then Adam, her husband, ate it too. And that was the first rebellion by people against God. God had to keep His word or He would not be a just God. He had said, “If you eat the fruit of that tree you will suffer and die.” Man ate of the tree, and since then he has been suffering and dying.

But God had a plan. God said, “In spite of their rebellion, I am going to save the human race. I am going to send my Son to this earth.” And every step of the way the devil tried to kill God’s Son, even when He was a baby. Finally, when God’s Son was on the cross, it looked as if the devil had won a great victory, but instead the devil lost his greatest battle. When Jesus died, the devil suffered a mighty defeat, because on the third day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The Bible says Jesus has “the keys of Hades and of Death” (Revelation 1:18). Christ is alive, and He is coming back to this earth again!

God is building His Kingdom, but the devil is also building his. Even though Satan is a defeated foe, he is still working. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). Jesus pictured Satan as an enemy battling and bidding for the souls of people.

Third, the value of your soul is measured by God’s concern for saving your soul. God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). God sees your soul as the most valuable thing in the world, so valuable that He sent His only Son to the cross to suffer and die so that your soul may be saved. And if you were the only person in the whole universe, Christ would have died for you.

Fourth, the value of your soul is measured by the severity of its loss. It is terrible when a person loses his health, or his money, or his friends, or, worse still, his character. But what about the loss of a soul?

I live in the mountains of North Carolina, and many times in the thick woods and forests of that state children get lost. Many people come to help—the military sends helicopters and soldiers. They bring in specially trained dogs. Everything possible is done to find the child. The newspapers print the story, and the television stations report the story. But if a man’s soul is lost, that isn’t reported by the media. Yet the soul is worth more than all the world.

Suppose you had all the gold in the world and all the clothes you could ever dream of owning, and you lived in a magnificent home, and owned all the oil in the Middle East.

Suppose it was all yours, but you lost your soul. Jesus said it would be a poor bargain.

Even if you could get everything you wanted, it wouldn’t give you peace. You would still be searching. Great riches cannot make you happy. Much pleasure cannot make you happy. Only the peace of God coming into your heart through Jesus Christ can bring peace and joy and happiness.

Are you prepared for eternity? Are you sure that you have been born from above? The Bible says that you can be sure. The Bible says that there is a Heaven, that there is a hell. You choose where you spend eternity, and many of you are choosing right now.

Fifth, the value of your soul is measured by the price paid for its redemption. The Bible says, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). What are you doing with your soul? Are you gambling with your soul, taking a chance with it?

I am asking you to make sure of your relationship with Christ. Christ demands more than just churchgoing, more than just baptism, more than just being good. He demands your total surrender—the surrender of your mind, your heart, your body, every part of you—to the Lordship of Christ. If you have a doubt in your heart that you have totally surrendered to Christ, do it now. Make sure of your salvation. Make certain that you know Christ.

Repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone.