Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. Job 2:11 WEBRighteous men have always been hard to find. Yes, under the new covenant we have forgiveness and our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus after we have accepted Him as our Lord, but it was not always like that. Thank God that we live in a time of grace.
God would have spared Jerusalem if He could have found a single righteous person living there (Jeremiah 5:1). He told Abraham that He would spare Sodom if he could find ten, but He could not (Genesis 18:32).
Job was a righteous man. God Himself pointed it out and praised Job: 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?' (Job 1:8).
The cynical satan could not believe that this was true. Was there really a man that walked the straight and narrow, that could not be bribed, that did not hide dark secrets. If there was, he had never met them.
Cynicism: A studied disbelief. An inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self interest. Cynics begin to look inward at their own malice and believe that everyone else, is just like them. The devil believed that everyone else was just like him, because most of them were. After a dispute over Job's righteousness, God allowed Job to be tested by satan, proven, to see if he actually measured up.
Job soon went through a terrible trial. Though he was the wealthiest in the land, he lost it all In one day. Different bands of raiders took his 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, and they killed his servants. A strong wind suddenly blew the house down on top of his ten children and killed them. He lost his seven sons and his three daughters in one day.
Job fell down on the ground and worshipped God saying: 'Naked I came into this world, and naked I will leave it. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord' (Job 1:21). In all of this, Job did not sin. Amazing faith.
Three of Job's friends came to comfort him and one by one they gave long-winded speeches, explaining that Job was suffering because of hidden sin in his life. They believed that Job was living under God's judgment, when actually God was proud of Job. In Job 42:7, God showed up in a whirlwind and set things straight.
'And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before' (Job 42:10).
Job came out of the test with double everything: 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also had seven more sons and three more daughters.' (Job 42:12). Even his children were doubled for the first were not gone, but living safely with the Lord. What a strange way to bless someone. Job went through trouble, and then everything that he had lost was returned double.
When Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, the disciples asked who then can be saved? For it was thought that wealth and blessing were God's stamp of approval. While it is safe to say that a good life can stem from good choices, and a bad life can be a result of bad choices, many bad circumstances have nothing to do with the choices that were made. Saint Paul was considered a righteous man that wrote a lot of the New Testament, yet he wrote:
'Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often. Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep. I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers; in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11:25).
I know some really good people who are going through some really bad times. Today remember that if things are going great for you that it is not necessarily a sign of God's approval, and if things are going awful, that it is not necessarily a sign of God's judgement. Stay the course for you can be right in the middle of God's will and in the worst trial of your life, as we learned from Job. God was proud of Job, and his hellish circumstances came because he had done something right, not because of discipline or correction.
Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for everything that You have done for me. I know that this life is not about me, but about You. Naked I came into this world, and naked I will leave it. Please help me to see the big picture while I am here and not get lost in my own problems. Forgive me of my sins and lead me into all that You have for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.Note: "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14). If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page:
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Thank you Holy Spirit for this message through pastor Dion and thank you too pastor Dion. I really needed it,been allowing myself to get caught up in my problems and faults for some time now. I let fear of the future creep in again when He helped me realise the future and everything were always in his hands the whole time. Hello again y'all,sorry I've been gone for awhile. Been doing some soul searching with God's help and by His grace. I'm alive and well. God bless.
Amen
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for this day and for days past as I tend to take the little things for granted. I realize how precious life is and that each day is a gift for I can see, walk, talk, hear, tend to my self as well as think for myself. Without Jesus in my life, this life means nothing. Thank you for your precious Son Jesus Christ who came into the world to save us ALL so that we can live in eternal bliss with you Father in Heaven and with Jesus. I pray that we all take a moment and thank Jesus for his gift of salvation and for the love and compassion he show to each one of us everyday. God Almighty is GOOD!! Amen!! Alleluia!! Amen!!
Yes Lord, amen
Amen! What a great message!
I needed this today! Great Devotional Pastor Dion, This touches on a recent conversation, and it makes so much sense. Thank You Lord Jesus Amen!
Amen,thank you Jesus.
Amen!
Amen!
Thank you for your words.
Thank you God
Thank you Lord for all you do for me and my family and friends. Amen
Thank You Father for everything, Amen.
Amen came in this world without anything ready to leave this world without anything..have a blessed day.
More of you Lord and less of me....
Thank You Father for all You have done and doing for me and my family, help me to be reminded that is Your will not mine. As I came to this world I will leave, that Your word come to me to follow Your designs. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Thank you Pastor, it's a great devotional. God bless you.
Amen and amen! Thank you so much Pastor Dion, what great comfort to hear your encouraging and uplifting words, may the Lord richly bless you!!!
Thank you my Lord God most high for staying with me and my loved ones far and near, I cannot imaging life without You!!!
AMEN!! This also reminds me of Jesus' reply to His disciples (regarding the man born blind) "Neither he nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so the works of God may be displayed in him." Gpd really does work in mysterious ways!
Amen God forgive wtv sin I have committed in your sight. Help us to get to the end of this trial and along the way keep us safe and provide our needs. Thank you God. Praise God.
Amen!
I really appreciated reading this today. For the life of me, I have felt like maybe I am being tested lately. I have to admit I totally lost it a few time these past few days, but I quickly realized it might be a test. But either way, I really appreciated the message today.
Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for everything that You have done for me. I know that this life is not about me, but about You. Naked I came into this world, and naked I will leave it. Please help me to see the big picture while I am here and not get lost in my own problems. Forgive me of my sins and lead me into all that You have for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Amen. Thank you Pastor Dion. Your message speaks to my life and challenges. I am learning to be still when life's challenges become overwhelming. I am a work in progress, who is not giving up because I know, this too shall pass, and it is temporary. I will wait and trust in the Lord .
Wow, pastor Dion, thanks for your wisdom. This very thing has been ony heart lately. But who am to think I know what God is thinking. Blessings to you and Sylvia ❤️
Thank you for this devotion reminding us that even though we go through trials it doesn mean that we have sinned, it is usually a test to see if we can keep our eyes focused on God to get us through the trial.