One Year Bible, August 31

JOB 37:1 - 39:30                                                                                                                    
GOD'S VOICE:  Psa 50:3 says there is a storm surrounding the throne of God. To some, God's voice sounds like thunder. He controls the elements, frost, snow, lightning, rain, whirlwinds. Instead of attacking Job, Elihu speaks of the power of God.

GOD FINALLY SPEAKS:  God NEVER explained Job's suffering.  God NEVER defended Himself.  God NEVER took sides in all the debates.  God NEVER listed any sins to Job.  God spoke out of the whirlwind: "Stand up, Job!" (God's first speech - Job 38:1 - 40:5) God spoke to Job alone.   What Job wanted was either to know what he had done to deserve his suffering, or to be declared innocent.  God's speech doesn't answer any of Job's questions!  First He dealt with Elihu's words, letting him know that Elihu had bitten off more than he could chew!

BEFORE ADAM & EVE:  Creation declares God's Greatness.  God is Creator of the sea, of time, and is Master of the deep, light, darkness, snow, hair, lightning, constellations, clouds, and mist.  God Created and protects animals, and will surely NOT fail Job.  And none but the SOVEREIGN GOD could have created, known, led, guided, controlled all the forces of the universe.  It was not more knowledge that Job needed, but more God.

RESPONSE:   God gave "instinct" to the animals! Do humans have any of that, I wonder? When our hearts sink under the weight of discouragement or affliction, it is good to meditate on God's greatness.  It puts things in perspective.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:13 - 5:10                                                                                         
Please see yesterday's blog.

THE "GOD OF ALL COMFORT":  What if we are "afflicted" to death?  Then what?  In that event, the body goes to one place and the spirit to another (God's visible Presence). This body descends into death and the spirit ascends to God's throne. This body is a "tent" and in heaven I'' get a "house".   A new one.   An immortal, perfect one. (and for me, that's a tall, thin body)  My spirit will not be "naked".  We will NEVER be disembodied spirits (or ghosts, or angels either)!  I "groan" for my new body, too!  I should have taken better care of this one, I guess.   It is a great comfort to know that when we leave this body behind, we go IMMEDIATELY to be with Jesus!  There is no "intermediate" holding place. There is no "soul sleep".   No waiting.  No dying - just stepping through the veil to where we walk by SIGHT - because we can SEE the spirit realms. In Phil 1:21-23, Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"   In John's vision of Heaven, he said, "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:" (Rev 6:9)   They weren't in some intermediate place, or asleep, either one!   Here's another one: 1 Thess 5:10-11, "He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep (dead), we may live together with him."   It doesn't matter to us whether we die or not - those thoughts don't cause fear or upset in our hearts. (Rom 14:8)

PAUL'S AMBITION:  Either here or there, we always strive (have it as my ambition) to please God.  It doesn't matter what any human court might say - we have an AUDIENCE OF ONE.  The Corinthians could continue to judge Paul if they wanted to - but Paul's big ambition, his only goal in life is to please God.  The One examining me is God.  What people think about me is unimportant; and in fact, what I think of me is unimportant.  The "revealing" at the judgment seat is not for sin.  That has already been dealt with by Jesus on the Cross.  No! What we each will see (privately between me and Jesus) is the wonderful work God has done in us individually.   We won't see all the stuff that was BURNED UP.   What we will be amazed at will be all that's left!   Will we have anything?   What rewards have we laid up in heaven?   How many crowns?   Don't groan too hard for your new body - because you will be evaluated for what you accomplished in this one!  Make sure your deeds are eternal and redemptive.  Those deeds are "good or evil" - the original language actually says, "good or worthless and of no account".  (worthless and burned up as wood, hay and stubble).   It is the Greek word, "phaulos". (NOT wicked or evil, which is the Greek word, "poneros".)   It is called "evil" because it has no lasting value.   It is "worthless" in light of eternity. (things like grocery shopping, "hanging out" at the mall, a drive in the country).

RESPONSE:   A close examination of these Scriptures in the original language makes me feel MUCH BETTER. Remember, this book is a revelation of "the God of all Comfort".   Not a scary monster-God.  Paul doesn't threaten us with Divine and public exposure and embarrassment .   He is comforting us with the very real thrill of serving God - whether by life or by death.   That we have absolutely nothing to fear except going to God empty-handed and with regrets because we wasted our lives.  How do we waste our lives?   Be refusing to lay them down.  Jesus said to "lose it" or "waste it". (Mat 10:39; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25 - see my blogs for those passages also).  Let's make it our ambition to live life to please God in everything we say and do.  Make that our prayer every morning before rising.

PSALM 44:9-26                                                                                                                      
LIKE JOB, MY SITUATION IS DESPERATE:  Stripped of everything, shamed and disgraced, almost dying, BUT STILL MORE THAN CONQUERORS. "Killed all the day long; counted as sheep for the slaughter." quoted in Romans 8:36 - where EVEN THO' all these things come against us and hurt, harm or alarm us, we are still "more than conquerors" - meaning we leave the fight with MORE than we went in with - because NOTHING SEPARATES US FROM GOD'S LOVE.   I tell my grandchildren: "Don't let it.  Don't allow anything to separate you from the FACT that God loves you."

PROVERBS 22:13                                                                                                                

"There's a lion in the street!" That's why I don't go out there.  That's why I am still in the house laying on the couch, watching TV.   Any excuse, huh?   At least this is a good one.

RESPONSE:   Whenever I give an excuse for something I don't want to do, I add, "and besides, there's a lion in the street."