"...And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, he is
in your hand, but spare his life.' So Satan
went out from the presence of the Lord, and
struck Job with painful boils from the sole of
his foot to the crown of his head. And he took
for himself a potsherd with which to scrape
himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
Then his wife said to him,'Do you still hold to
your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he
said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish
women speaks, shall we indeed accept good
from God, and shall we not accept adversity?'
In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
We all think we understand the narrative
from the book of Job in Scripture. Let's look
at the second statement from Job, verse 10 of
chapter 2. "...Shall we indeed accept good
from God, and shall we not accept adversity?
In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
The statement above may be most important
to the story. We give thanks for the blessing
from God on our lives, but we may only count
as blessing the things and "happenings," that
encourage us or make us feel good. The most
important blessing to come upon Job might be
regarded by you and me as catastrophic. We
would probably be crushed; and be at risk of
losing our faith as a result. (The Lord will not
put upon His child more than he can bear, but
will provide an escape. (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 a
way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
The Scripture above refers to temptation, but
but could just as easily have referred to trials
of faith as well. We must receive all that comes
to us as believers to be from our Lord. If it is
from the Lord do we dare lament our condition,
complain against it or rebel in our hearts or our
mouths. When you or I speak of our condition,
there is but one way to regard these things and
that is with thanksgiving. If we truly give thanks
in everything, as in Ephesians 5:20 "...Giving
thanks always for all things to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..," Then,
we will be in that respect, following our Savior.
If our faith in God, in Christ, is as fleeting
as is our constancy in other things, we are in
trouble. Having lived many years among the
people of God, His church, evidence indicates
our faith to be ineffectual as a whole. Most
of us might be described as "fair weather"
Christians. We have a tendency to be up or
down depending upon our health, wealth, or
stable personal relationships We deal poorly
with backset or loss. Our record for dealing
with disaster or catastrophe, on the whole, can
be reportedly dismal. There are also those we
can name who have been through the fire and
have come out the other side, unscathed. They,
like Job, are our examples to follow as we fol-
low Jesus Christ.
What then is the answer to this dilemma?
The key to living a well adjusted contented life
in Christ is this..., "In everything, give thanks,
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus con-
cerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18) Accepting all
that comes to us in faith as being from the
hand of God with thanksgiving, settles it. This
may seem simple, but most that is taught in
the Word of God about living in this world is
by it's very nature offered to the "least of us,"
and the greatest still have the same issues as
do the rest of us. If you will return to Scrip-
ture referenced earlier, to verse 18 and 19 we
find, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which
is dissipation; but be ye filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns
and Spiritual songs, making melody in your
heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all
things to God the Father in the name of our
Lord, Jesus Christ." Is that the key?
Job endured the "firey furnace." His legacy
will be his faith in God. He sinned not. He did
not relish the trial, but today he is in the pre-
sence of the Eternal God, rejoicing and giving
his Lord praise for all that was done.
I must report that in May, 2015, I discovered
a hernia and went to a surgeon. As he checked
me over, including my heart, he seemed to be
concerned and sent me to a cardiologist who
discovered a defective aortic valve. Surgery
was adivsed and performed by another cardio
surgeon. This has been quite an experience for
one who had never had a medical procedure,
did not take over the counter nor prescribed
medications. I was 74 and in seeming great
health.
I must give the Lord God the glory for taking
us through this and now, we are at home and
are doing well, considering. My Lord not only
"carried" my wife and me through this, but He
did it in such a way that I never had fear of
suffering or dying. (they stopped my heart and
placed me on a heart-lung machine for life sup-
port.) I was clinically dead during the valve
repair. There are still 3 weeks before I am per-
mitted full range of motion and able to return
to music ministry in our church. My church
family and our other friends have been very
thoughtful and considerate during this time and
we give our Lord thanks for our friends and our
family and having gone through this experience.
God bless you and thanks for looking.
donporter,sr 11.07.15
in your hand, but spare his life.' So Satan
went out from the presence of the Lord, and
struck Job with painful boils from the sole of
his foot to the crown of his head. And he took
for himself a potsherd with which to scrape
himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
Then his wife said to him,'Do you still hold to
your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he
said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish
women speaks, shall we indeed accept good
from God, and shall we not accept adversity?'
In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
We all think we understand the narrative
from the book of Job in Scripture. Let's look
at the second statement from Job, verse 10 of
chapter 2. "...Shall we indeed accept good
from God, and shall we not accept adversity?
In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
The statement above may be most important
to the story. We give thanks for the blessing
from God on our lives, but we may only count
as blessing the things and "happenings," that
encourage us or make us feel good. The most
important blessing to come upon Job might be
regarded by you and me as catastrophic. We
would probably be crushed; and be at risk of
losing our faith as a result. (The Lord will not
put upon His child more than he can bear, but
will provide an escape. (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 a
way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
The Scripture above refers to temptation, but
but could just as easily have referred to trials
of faith as well. We must receive all that comes
to us as believers to be from our Lord. If it is
from the Lord do we dare lament our condition,
complain against it or rebel in our hearts or our
mouths. When you or I speak of our condition,
there is but one way to regard these things and
that is with thanksgiving. If we truly give thanks
in everything, as in Ephesians 5:20 "...Giving
thanks always for all things to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..," Then,
we will be in that respect, following our Savior.
If our faith in God, in Christ, is as fleeting
as is our constancy in other things, we are in
trouble. Having lived many years among the
people of God, His church, evidence indicates
our faith to be ineffectual as a whole. Most
of us might be described as "fair weather"
Christians. We have a tendency to be up or
down depending upon our health, wealth, or
stable personal relationships We deal poorly
with backset or loss. Our record for dealing
with disaster or catastrophe, on the whole, can
be reportedly dismal. There are also those we
can name who have been through the fire and
have come out the other side, unscathed. They,
like Job, are our examples to follow as we fol-
low Jesus Christ.
What then is the answer to this dilemma?
The key to living a well adjusted contented life
in Christ is this..., "In everything, give thanks,
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus con-
cerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18) Accepting all
that comes to us in faith as being from the
hand of God with thanksgiving, settles it. This
may seem simple, but most that is taught in
the Word of God about living in this world is
by it's very nature offered to the "least of us,"
and the greatest still have the same issues as
do the rest of us. If you will return to Scrip-
ture referenced earlier, to verse 18 and 19 we
find, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which
is dissipation; but be ye filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns
and Spiritual songs, making melody in your
heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all
things to God the Father in the name of our
Lord, Jesus Christ." Is that the key?
Job endured the "firey furnace." His legacy
will be his faith in God. He sinned not. He did
not relish the trial, but today he is in the pre-
sence of the Eternal God, rejoicing and giving
his Lord praise for all that was done.
I must report that in May, 2015, I discovered
a hernia and went to a surgeon. As he checked
me over, including my heart, he seemed to be
concerned and sent me to a cardiologist who
discovered a defective aortic valve. Surgery
was adivsed and performed by another cardio
surgeon. This has been quite an experience for
one who had never had a medical procedure,
did not take over the counter nor prescribed
medications. I was 74 and in seeming great
health.
I must give the Lord God the glory for taking
us through this and now, we are at home and
are doing well, considering. My Lord not only
"carried" my wife and me through this, but He
did it in such a way that I never had fear of
suffering or dying. (they stopped my heart and
placed me on a heart-lung machine for life sup-
port.) I was clinically dead during the valve
repair. There are still 3 weeks before I am per-
mitted full range of motion and able to return
to music ministry in our church. My church
family and our other friends have been very
thoughtful and considerate during this time and
we give our Lord thanks for our friends and our
family and having gone through this experience.
God bless you and thanks for looking.
donporter,sr 11.07.15
1 comment:
This is sooo relevant right now. Actually the past 6 months have been extremely trying. I've felt the weight of our enemy crushing me from within. he finds exactly our weaknesses to do his damage. Dispensing suffering onto the mind of a child of God is foremost. Even with ernest prayer and supplication one does hesitant if not for an instant, until crying out to God "Please don't let go of my hand. I will not turn from You." Without medicating one's self with drugs, or alcohol, or any other sinful ways it is the Only Hope we have. He Is My Savior. In Jesus' name, amen.
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