Job 10-13, True Peace

“Would God’s majesty not terrify you?  Would his dread not fall on you? 

Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash; your defenses are made of clay. 

I will put myself at risk  and take my life in my own hands. Even if he kills me, I will hope in him.  I will still defend my ways before him.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬-‭12‬, ‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Read Context

Jobs’ comments to his friends are so pointed and confident.  Job knew that he had nothing to hide from God.  Even his wise friends needed some reminders from Job to have humility.  Their best arguments and cases were fragile and worthless….like dust…

The same is true for me,..I may have some great things to say, but if they are not founded in scripture, they are worthless.

Lord, help me to point others to Christ and Your Word rather than my opinions or wisdom…You alone bring true Peace, Joy and Healing!

Job 6-9, Complete Justification

“Yes, I know what you’ve said is true, but how can a person be justified before God?  If one wanted to take   him to court, he could not answer God once in a thousand times.  God is wise  and all-powerful. Who has opposed him and come out unharmed?”

‭‭Job‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Read Context

Jobs’ question is one we all must deal with- “but how can a person be justified before God?”

The answer is - no one!  Only Jesus payment for our sins can justify us before God.  All of our own attempts are just waisted energy and frustrations.  No matter how great we are at being good, we still fall infinitely short of justification.  Our efforts are meaningless.

Lord, thank You for sending Jesus so that I can have a restored relationship with You!  Help me to rest in Jesus work alone.  Allow me strength to surrender in every area of life so that the Spirit would continue to conform me to Your image!

Job 1-5, Trustworthy God

 “However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and would present my case to him. He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. 

See how happy is the person whom God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds but he also bandages; he strikes, but his hands also heal. ”

‭‭Job‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬, ‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Read Context

Jobs destruction is so complete and unimaginable!  I really hate it…his friends have a couple helpful things to say: “go talk to God about this!”

I am so thankful, that God does not shy away from hard conversations with us.  He doesn’t pretend like everything is fine…at the same time, He doesn’t always give us the answers that we want to hear.  Yet we can be confident that He does all things for our ultimate good.

Lord, help me to trust You in every situation, especially when I cannot see the why or the end result.  You have proven Yourself to be faithful thousands of times in scripture and dozens of times in my life.  Give me the strength to have an immovable faith in You!

Genesis 8-11, Captivating Chaos

“And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.  Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.” Then the Lord came down  to look over the city and the tower that the humans  were building. The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Read Context

The Tower of Babel is a story that seems to play out in miniature throughout history and in our own lives.  Many people today point to AI as the next iteration of humanity creating a technology that eliminates the need for God.  But on a small scale, I know that I can get just as fixated on some shiny new idea that distracts me from my relationship with God.  I can easily put so much attention toward whatever it is that I neglect my family and other responsibilities.

Lord, help me to keep You at the center of my attention so that I don’t pridefully chase after something that becomes an idol.  Help me to see clearly when there are distractions from my rightful priorities so that I can surrender them to You!

Genesis 4-7, God of Mercy

“Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils   #— #everything on dry land died. He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the earth, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. ”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭7‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Read Context

God saving one family was a pure act of mercy.  He was not required to, and would have been just to destroy even them.  Yet, that is not what He did…He demonstrated who He is by choosing one family to be saved and the giving them the plan for what to do.  Their salvation hinged on following Gods plan.

They believed God and built a boat, and made preparations for something seemingly unknown to them…

God made a way to save  us too!  Jesus work of salvation on the cross, we just need to believe God and trust in Jesus.  What a God of grace and mercy!

Genesis 1-3, Creation for Man

“So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.  God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you,  for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth #— #everything having the breath of life in it #— #I have given  every green plant for food.”  And it was so. 

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed.  Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Read Context

It strikes me that as God created the universe, Earth and everything in it, he was already taking care of the needs of His creation.  Humanity was not an afterthought or a sudden whim of creation…all that He created prior was in support of mankind.

That is the exact opposite of the theory of evolution.

Finally, I love that we were made as a reflection of God…having creativity, responsibility and agency.  When used according to Gods design, they bring glory to Him.  But those are so easy to abuse and use them to fulfill our own desires…every time drawing us away from God.

Lord, help me to use my whole person according to Your plan, for Your Glory to honor You!