Post by cspain03 on Sept 23, 2014 13:08:39 GMT
Good morning!!!
The following verses stood out to me
Ch24:
22 But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life.
23 God may let them rest in a feeling of security, but he is constantly watching all their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, they are brought low like all others, and gathered in, and like a head of grain they are cut off.'
I think these verses circle back to what's been said about those not living for Christ still enjoying so much of life. The Bible says The Lord allows the sun to shine on the just and the unjust (which is a true blessing for all because even those of us living for Christ stumble and fall into sin/do u just things). These verses bring light to the fact that God sees and knows all, in my mind, and won't overlook the wrong doings of others. They may enjoy a nice life here on earth, coming and going as the please and not having a care in the world - but we see here that God won't let that last forever. Again, I'd rather struggle doing right while on earth trusting that God will be pleased with me and I'll be able to enjoy eternity with Him in Heaven.
I do think Job may be so low that he is struggling to see that though things are difficult now, he really does serve a just and fair God. I know I've been tempted to think that God doesn't care about me because I am going through a hard time or I can encourage others but can't encourage myself when times get tough. It's hard to continue to hold on to faith when you feel like you're in a constant fight to keep your sanity or your head above water. This, for me, serves as a reminder that, I can't just speak about how good and just God is, I have to believe it for myself, no matter what I am facing. We can't allow doubt to set in when things are hard to make us believe what the enemy says to us/about us - God DOES love us, God DOES hear our prayers, God is ALWAYS there, God IS righteous and just. We have to be strong in our walk and know that even as we face hard times we can't give up or think that the work we've done for God thus far is meaningless.
Ch25:
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 "Dominion and awesome might belong to God; he establishes peace in his heights.
3 Can his armies be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?
Again I find myself at odds with Job's "friends" - they clearly KNOW ABOUT God but I wonder if they really have a relationship WITH God. It's one thing to know the word of God, it's completely different to apply it to your life and let the actions and words of your life reflect that you have a relationship with our heavenly Father. I think Job's friends fall into the same camp as the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' time - they knew the Word but found themselves above it to actually apply ALL of it to their own lives - they just wanted to judge others and be self-righteous. The words they speak here are powerful and are a reminder of the fact that everything is under God's control. God's Kingdom is established for ever, in all directions, encompassing everything and everyone. That happens to include the just and the unjust. God is merciful and gracious and I am so thankful that He is. I don't deserve the blessings I have any more than the next person, because we all fall short/we all sin. I feel like Job's "friends" are so caught up on judging Job and questioning his relationship with God because they see what all has happening to Job but they aren't taking a step back to realize it could have been them (if they are really such good examples of people that please God like Job was as they seem to make themselves out to be). They don't want to see this as a test of faith, they only see it as punishment for sin/wrong action. As it's been said before, the hard times we face aren't always about punishment, they can be able preparation for a bigger blessing or a test of faith to produce growth and understanding. And we have to be open to be used my God to be a blessing to someone else as well. I recently read that they are some situation we go through that are hard so that we can help someone else through a similar situation after we've made it through. We can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for someone who wouldn't make it through their difficult time other wise - we can be used by God to be a blessing because He took us through a difficult time in a lives. I think it therefore then becomes that much more important that we share our stories and don't keep bad experience locked up in side....a little off topic, but that's just how I feel :-)
Y'all have a fantastic day!
The following verses stood out to me
Ch24:
22 But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life.
23 God may let them rest in a feeling of security, but he is constantly watching all their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, they are brought low like all others, and gathered in, and like a head of grain they are cut off.'
I think these verses circle back to what's been said about those not living for Christ still enjoying so much of life. The Bible says The Lord allows the sun to shine on the just and the unjust (which is a true blessing for all because even those of us living for Christ stumble and fall into sin/do u just things). These verses bring light to the fact that God sees and knows all, in my mind, and won't overlook the wrong doings of others. They may enjoy a nice life here on earth, coming and going as the please and not having a care in the world - but we see here that God won't let that last forever. Again, I'd rather struggle doing right while on earth trusting that God will be pleased with me and I'll be able to enjoy eternity with Him in Heaven.
I do think Job may be so low that he is struggling to see that though things are difficult now, he really does serve a just and fair God. I know I've been tempted to think that God doesn't care about me because I am going through a hard time or I can encourage others but can't encourage myself when times get tough. It's hard to continue to hold on to faith when you feel like you're in a constant fight to keep your sanity or your head above water. This, for me, serves as a reminder that, I can't just speak about how good and just God is, I have to believe it for myself, no matter what I am facing. We can't allow doubt to set in when things are hard to make us believe what the enemy says to us/about us - God DOES love us, God DOES hear our prayers, God is ALWAYS there, God IS righteous and just. We have to be strong in our walk and know that even as we face hard times we can't give up or think that the work we've done for God thus far is meaningless.
Ch25:
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 "Dominion and awesome might belong to God; he establishes peace in his heights.
3 Can his armies be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?
Again I find myself at odds with Job's "friends" - they clearly KNOW ABOUT God but I wonder if they really have a relationship WITH God. It's one thing to know the word of God, it's completely different to apply it to your life and let the actions and words of your life reflect that you have a relationship with our heavenly Father. I think Job's friends fall into the same camp as the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' time - they knew the Word but found themselves above it to actually apply ALL of it to their own lives - they just wanted to judge others and be self-righteous. The words they speak here are powerful and are a reminder of the fact that everything is under God's control. God's Kingdom is established for ever, in all directions, encompassing everything and everyone. That happens to include the just and the unjust. God is merciful and gracious and I am so thankful that He is. I don't deserve the blessings I have any more than the next person, because we all fall short/we all sin. I feel like Job's "friends" are so caught up on judging Job and questioning his relationship with God because they see what all has happening to Job but they aren't taking a step back to realize it could have been them (if they are really such good examples of people that please God like Job was as they seem to make themselves out to be). They don't want to see this as a test of faith, they only see it as punishment for sin/wrong action. As it's been said before, the hard times we face aren't always about punishment, they can be able preparation for a bigger blessing or a test of faith to produce growth and understanding. And we have to be open to be used my God to be a blessing to someone else as well. I recently read that they are some situation we go through that are hard so that we can help someone else through a similar situation after we've made it through. We can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for someone who wouldn't make it through their difficult time other wise - we can be used by God to be a blessing because He took us through a difficult time in a lives. I think it therefore then becomes that much more important that we share our stories and don't keep bad experience locked up in side....a little off topic, but that's just how I feel :-)
Y'all have a fantastic day!
