Then Job arose and tore his cloak and cut off his hair. He fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD! ”In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with wrong.

    -Job 1: 20-22

         Prior to this verse, in the book of Job, Sabeans have just come and carried off Job’s oxen and donkeys, as well as killing all by one servant.

I don’t know about you, but this would have put me in a really really bad mood, along with being mad at God. It is mentioned that Job is ‘blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil.’ This, dear friend, is the problem of evil, addressed by C.S. Lewis and many other authors over the years. Many people are quick to state that because evil exists, then an omnipotent, all good God cannot.

         However, God has given man free will, and will never take away our free will. There is also evil in this world. So where there is evil and free will, man can use the two to make bad/evil choices. Thus the situation here in Job.

         What I absolutely love in this part of Job, is the very end of this verse. After Job had gone through these trials (and would go through more), he still does not curse God – he BLESSES the name of the Lord.

         I’ve gone through difficult medical trials, and I know how difficult it is to want to blame God and do the , “ if you loved me you would fix this” – But instead, Job BLESSES the name of God. Instead of allowing the trials to pull him further from God, as the satan expects ( and wants) Job pulls closer to God.

         So, reflecting on this, I pray that we may draw closer to God, praising Him through the trials, tribulations, and blessing. We cannot just praise through the easy times; we need to praise Him through everything Life offers us. We are given the opportunity to praise him EVERY DAY. Wake up, open your eyes? – I Praise you Lord. Spill coffee on your shirt? – I praise you Lord. Long meeting in work? I praise you Lord. Get the gist? Keep on praising!

Romans 12:11-12


Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.

-Romans 12:11-12

I think that many of us go through periods of spiritual highs and lows, where we can feel very zealous and close to God, but then through time of feeling far and disconnected from Him. Looking at the definition for zeal can help to open up this verse.

Zeal:

Noun

1.   Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

We are called to serve the Lord and not grow slack in our enthusiasm for serving Him. That is my prayer for today, that He would make my heart be on fire for Him and be zealous about following his word.

Seek and ye shall find..

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

You cannot expect  to have help given to you if you do not ask and thusly. God, who is good knows how to give good gifts – it would not make sense for him to make sense for him to give a gift intended to harm, as He loves us so greatly. Treat others and love others as much as you would like others to do to you.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

You cannot expect  to have help given to you if you do not ask and thusly. God, who is good knows how to give good gifts – it would not make sense for him to make sense for him to give a gift intended to harm, as He loves us so greatly. Treat others and love others as much as you would like others to do to you.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

You cannot expect  to have help given to you if you do not ask and thusly. God, who is good knows how to give good gifts – it would not make sense for him for him to give a gift intended to harm, as He loves us so greatly. Treat others and love others as much as you would like others to do to you.