The Secret to Double Blessing

Job 42:10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. What a powerful statement! Job's life was restored when he prayed for Hs friends. Job's friends were not the best encouragers to say the least, even though their intentions might have been genuine. But at the end of the book, God had the last word, and it was encouraging. Job's friends were to repent and Job was to pray for them and bless them. I wonder how many times we miss the answer to our own problems because we close our eyes to the needs of others? What if God is ready to restore things in my life, and the key is for me to reach out to someone else who is hurting? Our pride can, and often does get in the way. Couldn't Job have said "no one's problems are as big as mine.......why should I pray for them?". When we take that proud position, we are overlooking the most important fact. The size of our dilemma should not be the center of our focus. Instead, we should consider the size of our God! He only is able to turn losses into gains, and He blesses those who have a heart to bless others. When you pray today, ask God to bless those who are hurting around you, even if they have hurt you in the process. You might just end up with a double blessing yourself!

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Job 42:5, 6 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” After listening to the wisdom of God from God Himself, Job realized the error of his way. He was making assumptions about things that he knew nothing about, and his foolishness was exposed by his Creator. In essence, Job admitted to opening his mouth and inserting his foot! The Lord knows that I have done it a time or two myself, and wouldn't be surprised if I failed again in that area of my life again in the future. What I'm impressed with about Job, is that he admitted it, and that he took back what he had said. He showed a heart of repentance for doubting God, and it's no coincidence that God would soon begin to shower Job with blessings once again. I pray that we could all learn something valuable from Job here. Repentance is never a bad idea, and when we say or do things that aren't right, we should own up to it. Even more so when it's God who is on the other end of our words or actions. May God give us a greater vision of who He is so that we, like Job, can truly trust Him.

100% Right

Job 40:1, 2 Then the LORD said to Job, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” Everybody is a critic, including me. If I was the coach, I would have done it differently. I'm an arm chair quarterback, and I'm confident that I have what it takes. The reality is, I am wrong. How ignorant could I be to think that I could make better decisions than someone who has been trained and game tested like a real football coach. I'm just a pretender, and don't have enough of the needed knowledge to even begin to measure up. Now with that in mind, think about how often we feel the need to question God concerning His ways. Too often we become God's critic, and that's a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance. We think that it should be done differently, or that He made a bad decision, but we fail to see that we are lacking the knowledge of the big picture. Every decision that God makes doesn't just effect us, but many others. Could you sit in His throne and judge rightly? No way. I'm so thankful that I serve The Lord of all creation, and even more thankful that the Judge of all the earth is my Father. The next time that you are tempted to dout or question what God is up to, instead of criticizing, try trusting. In the end, you will see that God was right 100% of the time.

The Big Picture

Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who are we to question God's wisdom? Was I there when God set the earth on its axis? Was I there when He made the oceans and told them how far they could go? Of course I wasn't, but I, like Job have still been guilty of questioning God. His ways are not always understood, but we should understand them to be perfect. Some things may not ever be proven this side of heaven, but time will eventually show that even the minute details were under the sovereign hand of God. Let's be honest, no one likes a "know it all", because they come across as arrogant and ignorant. When I think about it, it's truly amazing that God shows so much patience with us when we try to tell Him how to run the universe! God, forgive me for doubting and help me to see the big picture. I am the clay, and you are the potter.

The Eyes of the Wise

Job 31:1 I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. If we are to win the battle against the flesh, we must understand its weaknesses and tendencies. Now, more than ever, our world is filled with temptation. Advertisements use seduction and lust more than anything to capture our eyes, and to keep our attention while they try and sell to us their product. For them, it is just a way to keep us looking, but unfortunately, the temptation doesn't end when the commercial does. Our eyes are a gateway to our mind, and when we don't keep them in check, our mind can take an innocent look to a whole new level that ultimately leads to sin, which leads to more sin, which leads to destruction. Job was obviously a wise man that understood lust to be a sin that most often begins with a look. It would be wise for us to guard our eyes. No, we can't keep everything tempting from our sight, because of the multitude of opportunities that each day brings. But we can keep our eyes from gazing to the point of lust, and we can definitely choose to stay away from places or things where sin is just the turn of a page, or just a click away. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can close our eyes to that which would tear us down, and instead we can choose to gaze upon Him.

True Wisdom

Job 28:28 And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’” Wisdom is more valuable than any material possession. There are many with riches that lack wisdom, and there will come a day when their money won't buy them out of jeopardy. Likewise, the poor may also have a deficit of wisdom and fall prey to the same vices of the enemy. Wisdom comes from a healthy reverence of God, and His moral guidance for our lives. The world doesn't dictate what is right and wrong, that is God's place of authority, and the wise will take it to heart. This chapter speaks of the great knowledge that people have to find all sorts of things, but they can't seem to find wisdom. Their end is ruin, no matter how much they might have of this world's wealth. You can be certain, true wisdom won't bring popularity, but it will bring true prosperity of life. Don't ever forget that the wisdom that comes from God will be looked at as foolishness, but our aim is not to please or impress men. Instead, let us fear our Maker, and know that His Word is best for us.

Stay on God's Path

Job 23:11, 12 For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food. It's easy to stay on the right path when you can see tangible results and blessings. It's when the rewards disappear that walking in God's will gets a lot tougher. Job resolved to stay true to God even though he had lost all of the blessings that seemingly were given to Him by God because of Job's integrity. Tribulation makes it difficult to keep walking. It makes you ask questions about God's love, about your own heart. To top it off, Job also had so called friends who were raising more questions about Job and God. Job still had God's Word, and he treasured it. He had God's commands, and he chose to stick with them. We must remember that God's Word is the only thing in our life that will never change. One billion years from now, God's Word will remain. Like Job, we must treasure it, and endeavor to keep it through the power of the Spirit living within us. It will surely keep us through times of blessing, and through times of difficulty. Help us Lord to stay on Your path.