TODAY’S DAILY READING: Job 11-12 & 1 Corinthians 13
Old Testament: Job 11- More Or Less

Job 11:6
“…Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.”

Scattered throughout the book of Job are some of the most amazing truths about God and His treatment of man. Here, Zophar reveals something about the way God,,, Read More

Job 12- In His Hands

Job 12:10
“In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?”

There are certain truths that, if we took hold of them, and allowed ourselves to be taken hold by them, would transform the way we live, and as a result, the world we live… Read More

New Testament: Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“Love suffers long and is kind

Love does not envy

Love does not parade itself

Love is not… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Job 9-10 & 1 Corinthians 12
Old Testament: Job 9- In Between

Job 9:33
“Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.”

In the midst of all his suffering, Job comes face to face with his own sinfulness. He realizes he is guilty of violating the laws of God and asks,

“. . . how can a man be… Read More  

Job 10- Complaints

Job 10:1
“My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.”

Even a casual reading of the book of Job will reveal that this man is enduring intense suffering. His pain is both physical and emotional and has been intensified… Read More

 

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 12- Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:4-6
“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.”

Natural gifts, while given by God, are quite different from Spiritual gifts. If you have been given athletic, scholastic… Read More 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Job 7-8 & 1 Corinthians 11
Old Testament: Job 7- What Are Words For?

Job 7:11
“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”

As a child, I learned a simple proverb designed to help when someone said something unkind, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but… Read More

Job 8- Look Back

Job 8:8
“For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers”

Not everything Bibdad the Shuhite had to say is worth listening to, but he has unlocked a very valuable treasure with this statement. He encourages Job to look back upon the lessons the generations before us have learned as we seek to chart out our course… Read More

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 11- Communion

1 Corinthians 11:22
“What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God…”

Paul is addressing one of the most important practices of the church and the individual. He will instruct them regarding partaking in communion. Rather than seeing this ordinance… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Job 5-6 & 1 Corinthians 10
Old Testament: Job 5- Guidance

Job 5:8
“But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause”

One of the reasons the book of Job is so difficult is, though much of the counsel he receives is correct, the application is misplaced. Eliphaz wrongly believed Job was in sin, and his trials were brought about entirely… Read More

Job 6- Who Is Afflicted

Job 6:14
“To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”

Life is filled with opportunities to minister to hurting people. Sometimes these hurts are caused by the unfortunate… Read More

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 10- My Way Out

1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Years ago, Isuzu ran an ad where a man, sitting in the lotus position meditating, looked at the camera as if to speak wisdom and said, “I can resist anything except temptation.” I think that could be said of all of us. We often resolve to commit ourselves to the Lord, and make steps toward following Christ more closely, only to be derailed… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Job 3-4 & 1 Corinthians 9
Old Testament: Job 4- The Innocent

Job 4:7
“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?”

While Job was suffering the physical and emotion pain brought on from his trials, three friends arrived to offer their condolences, and seek to bring him answers. Eliphaz was first to speak. It seems he could not comprehend a situation where people did not deserve the suffering they were experiencing. This causes him to ask a very important question, has anyone… Read More

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 9- For The Gospel’s Sake

1 Corinthians 9:23
“Now this I do for the gospel’s sake…”

When writing to the Romans, Paul explained, the message of the Gospel has the power to save the sinner. It is when a person humbles himself and accepts that Jesus Christ died to do away with his sin, that he is saved. In order for a person to come to saving faith, he must hear the message and see… Read More

Job 3:1
“After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.”

The trials Job faced are almost too much for the mind to comprehend. He suffered the loss of his health, his family and his possessions. After a lengthy spell of sitting in silence he finally speaks. His first words express the depth of his suffering. His eyes are no longer on the Lord and his tongue is no longer expressing praise. This time he looks at all that has happened to him and begins to declare a curse upon what he determines to be the root cause of all his troubles.

Job 3:1
“After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.”

As the story continues to unfold every person who speaks will do so out of limited understanding. They are like a scientist who comes to a conclusion without looking at all the components in his experiment. Job assigns the cause of his problems to the day of his birth. Rather than seeing that everything he faced was caused by living in a fallen world which is under the sway of the wicked one, he looks for something else to blame. This seems to be a pretty common mistake. When things go wrong in life we look for someone or something to blame. When nothing celestial seems adequate we look up and cast blame upon God for allowing the trials to come upon us. The problem is that if we fail to see the real source of the problem we will fail to ever provide the adequate solution. The root cause of suffering is that we live in a fallen world. When sin entered the world all of creation was infected. The fallen nature of the world is compounded by the man’s continual rebellion against God.

There is however great consolation provided within the promises of God. We know that although bad things will continue to happen even to those who love and serve God, God promises to work in all things. We see this happening time and time again in Scripture. The righteous continually find themselves facing situations that look bleak only to find God is working behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes. This was true of Joseph, Moses, David, Esther and many others.

Instead of blaming God we should be looking to Him who alone can turn hardship into a means to glorify Himself and draw others to Christ.

Pastor Jim

TODAY’S DAILY READING:Job 1-2  & 1 Corinthians 8

Old Testament: Job 1= For Nothing

Job 1:9-10
“So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.’”

Job is described as the greatest man in all the East. His greatness was measured by his success and his character. He is described as a man… Read More

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 8- Liberty

1 Corinthians 8:13
“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

One of the controversies the Church in Corinth faced had to do with diet. Animals were offered to pagan gods, then the meat was sold at the local butcher shops. This created a real problem for… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Esther 9-10 & 1 Corinthians 7

Old Testament: Esther 9- Purim

Esther 9:26
“So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur.”

Feasts were an important part of Israel’s annual worship. In the Law, God established seven feasts which occurred during three different seasons of their calendar year. These feasts were a reminder… Read More

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 7- Relationships

1 Corinthians 7:2
“A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.”

The Corinthian Christians wrote a letter to Paul asking him some basic questions about how to live out their… Read More

Esther 10:3
“For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.”

Psalms 75:6-7
For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.

The book of Esther illustrates this point in a graphic way. We read of how Esther and her uncle Mordecai were exalted from obscurity to places of position, power and influence. We see not only that their exaltation came from the Lord but also how they used their position to honor the Lord. Esther used her influence to provide a way for her people to be saved and Mordecai used his to seek their good and their peace.

Whatever station we have in life we should see it as from the Lord. Our position gives us unique opportunities to influence others. Your job may have you working with a backslidden person whose family has been praying for them for years. While you have been wishing for a new position, that family has been praying diligently for the Lord to bring a godly, loving believer into their son or daughter’s life. You are the believer they have been praying for! Your position allows you access into a life that no one else has.

You may be a stay at home mom. Sometimes you wonder if what you are doing really matters. You might feel like you are living out Groundhog Day because everyday seems the same. You feed the kids, dress the kids, feed the kids, pick up after the kids, referee fights between the kids, put the kids to bed and start the cycle over the next morning. It is important to see your position as from the Lord. You have the unique opportunity to train your children in the ways of God. They will learn how to love, follow and serve Jesus by watching you. Your spiritual habits will one day be reflected in their lives.

Let’s seek to use whatever position we have been given as a means to enhance the spiritual well being of those around us. Who knows how greatly your life might impact that of another.

Pastor Jim