November 30, 2022
My Dear Brother and Sister, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today is from the book of Job 1:1 “Job was perfect and upright. He was blameless and one that feared God and shunned evil.”
My Dear Brother and Sister, from the above context we see the character of Job. He was a very righteous man. So God was confident that he will not waver in his faith. He allowed Satan to test him, fully knowing that Job will never deny God at any cost. Job lived in the land of Uz, he was a good man who feared the Lord and turned away from evil. Later we come to know that he was a wealthy man. He was highly esteemed by all and he was blessed with ten children. He was a man of prayer. Reverence for the Lord is a distinctive feature of Job. He had a desire for godly understanding. “For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One gives understanding”.
My Dear Brother and Sister, Later we learn that he was severely tested by Satan and we gain knowledge of his own attitude towards God, But his friends believed that God’s blessing exclusively fell on the righteous, while His punishment only touched wicked men. Their doctrine was incorrect. Their entire conversation exposes this misconception, for “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father of lights, Who never changes..” “for the Lord causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous”.
My Dear Brother and Sister, we learn many lessons from the character of Job, We see how Job maintained faith in God’s word, and that brought honour to His name. Satan tries to shipwreck our faith. But Faith in God provides us with an understanding of how God relates to man and His long-suffering and kindness towards us. Job demonstrates the immense impact a godly man can have on others and it shows the importance of intercession and prayer for family and friends. It helps to answer the question which is in the minds of many men. ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do God’s servants have to suffer when the ungodly seem to have a comfortable life? And this often confirms that God’s blessings fall exclusively on the righteous while retribution only touches wicked men.
My Dear Brother and Sister, God is always good, and evil is always a result of sin, but God is not the author of sin. He is the Creator of all that is good and wholesome, and it is God’s sovereign right to bless whosoever He chooses. And although He promises to bless those who trust Him, He does not promise that evil will never befall them. He will turn evil to good for those that love Him because He works in our lives from an eternal perspective.
My Dear Brother and Sister, are you going through trouble like Job. Have you lost your loved one because of Corona or by some other disease? Are you crying over the loss of your dear one? Are you suffering with a disabled child? Is there an economic problem? Have you lost your house and all your goods because of heavy rains? Are you going through a terrible loss in your business? Is there a problem at your work spot? Is someone causing unnecessary confusion in your life? Have you lost your job? What is your problem? Don’t waver in your faith. Be like Job who was strong in his faith. The Bible says, in spite of all his affliction he never committed sin with his lips. He tells his wife “Shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. If you also will remain like Job blameless, and righteous when you go through affliction, then you too will enjoy a double portion of blessing like Job. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Thank You Lord for the many lessons we learn from the character of Job. Thank You for Your goodness and grace; Your forbearance and mercy; Your wisdom and strength and Your kindness and favour toward us all. Thank You that You commended Your love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ died for us. Help us to come to a deeper knowledge and understanding of who You are and help us to live our life in a way that honours You.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
