WELL SPOKEN BUT DEAD WRONG

"Yet if you devote your heart to him
     and stretch out your hands to him,
 if you put away the sin that is in your hand
     and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
 then you will lift up your face without shame;
     you will stand firm and without fear." 
 Job 11:13-15 

Since I have read the book of Job before I know that God allowed Satan to inflict great loss and pain on Job from reading the first two chapters. I also know from reading the last five chapters that Job's friends got it wrong and that God did use Job's awful losses to reveal himself to Job, and his friends. 

In chapter 11 Zophar approached the situation from his finite and limited perspective. He drew upon the prevailing belief that misfortune was a result of sin. Because of his finite understanding of spiritual warfare as seen from God's perspective, Zophar could only see Job's sin as the cause of his misfortunes. Because of this his advice, or counsel, was that Job needed to repent. He was wrong. Wrong enough to make God angry (Job 42:7).

I think this is a sober reminder that I only see what I can see. My perspective is finite and limited. I need to humbly seek God for his understanding and wisdom. How many beliefs do we have that are based upon our limited and finite understanding of God. We have the Bible that teaches us the truth about God. It also teaches us to humbly approach things. Job and his friends learned that God is Sovereign, absolutely. 

Father, help us to humbly wait upon you and seek your counsel, especially your word, as we seek the truth. Thank you, Lord Jesus, because you are the Truth. Praise be to you in us today!

GOD'S LOVE, DAY OR NIGHT: Psalm 42:8

"By day the LORD directs his love,

     at night his song is with me - 
     a prayer to the God of my life."
 Psalm 42:8  

In the middle of a prayer of longing comes a reminder of the truth: God is directing his love toward you. It is so easy to focus on the feeling of aloneness, isn't it? That is the result of sin, being without hope and without God in this world. 

A very good friend of mine had a very difficult time dealing with the death of his mother. For years he struggled with it. I tried to be empathetic. My biological father had died just after my aunt. My buddy was angry with God for taking his mom. It was hard because he just wouldn't come to grips that everyone dies. In his mind if God loved him he would not have let his mother die. Finally, he came to the place where he could grieve and move on in the knowledge that God loved him.

Sometimes we are in the midst of a "Where are you God?" time. If you are remember that it is not about your feelings, it is about the truth of God's love. The truth is that God directs his love toward us and day or night his Presence is with us. 

Father, thank you that by day you direct you love toward me and at night you put a song in my heart. Help me to live by faith in that truth. Praise be to you in us today!

NOT A CHAINSAW OR BUTTER KNIFE: II Timothy 2:15

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that "the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword". The problem is that most of the time we use the Bible more like a chainsaw or a butter knife! Either we try to force our way by saying, "The Bible say! The Bible says!" Or we pick a quote with little or no reference to what the issue really is. 

If I see something in someone and just quote a verse and tell them to get it together or else they are in sin I could be shredding their faith. What happens if they are sincerely struggling with something, seeking God, but just having trouble? What if what they really need is someone to walk alongside them a while and instead I just condemn them? That's what I Corinthians 13 is all about, love. Think about Christ. Although he never condoned sin he was always kind to sinners (like me) when offering them a way of repentance. The only people Jesus was harsh with was with the so-called spiritual elitists, those who thought they were already righteous. 

So, apply the word of God with love and wisdom, correctly handle the word of God.

Father, help us to correctly handle your word and to dispense it with wisdom and love. Praise be to you in us today!

ARE YOU A MALICIOUS TALKER?/ I Timothy 3:11

I know this verse is written concerning the wives of candidates of deacons. That said, I think the message of positive verses negative  communication is valuable for everyone. Especially in this age of emails, texting, instagramming, face-booking, tweeting, and blogging.  

"In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trust worthy in everything." I Timothy 3:11 

My wife has a note (an 8.5" X 11" note) on the refrigerator titled "The Three Sieves Test". The three sieves are: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Sometimes when I want to say something I ask myself, "Does the Holy Spirit need my help to speak to this person?" You know, something said in love, gently and in humility is totally different than the clanging symbol of truth without love.

The word in the original language (Greek) is diabolos. Sound a bit familiar? The King James Version translates it "slanderers". Satan accuses us before the Father day and night (Revelation 12:10). There is a difference between talking about and praying for someone because you are legitimately concerned about their spiritual well being and  just talking about someone and in affect just passing on negative information about someone. You know, some things tear people up and some things build people up. 

A few months ago, I participated in the draft for my son's baseball league. One of the other coaches who is on the league board made a very negative comment about the guy who was going to do the uniforms this year. I kind of lost respect for the board member because it was only meant to demean the other man. It was malicious. 

Remember to build up not tear down. Remember to speak in love, gently and with a humble spirit. How would you like someone to "share" with you?

Father, help us to build each other up in this most holy faith. Praise be to you in us today!