Morning Moments

We are emotional, rational, and relational beings, and as we see in the case of Job saints suffer. Sometimes we suffer because of personal sin. Sometimes we suffer because of another's sin. But sometimes we suffer because of Satan's attack when we have not sinned, and yet, in the midst of the suffering there may be (as in the case of Job) honest self defense. "What have I done to bring this on?" The answer may be nothing, so we must wait on the Lord.

I don't know why God is leading me in this area, but I will follow. Someone may find solace.

Let me begin with the bottom line. God heals whom He wills, how He wills, with or without a human instrument, and with or without faith. He is sovereign, but Satan is a scoundrel. Even Satan serves the will of God for he is in final submission to Him as in the case of Job. Let me put it another way: Whatever the enemy does, he does to hurt, but God uses it to help.

The classic example is Joseph. In spite of all the mistreatment from his brethren, imprisonment, etc., he learned that "although you meant it for evil, God meant it for good." That is where we must rest our case.

I have a friend sit across the table from me and say, "I will teach you the faith life." This same guy wanted to teach me to speak in tongues. He said, "you can die as Moses with you strength unabated and your vision undimmed."

My response was, "I don't want to die like Moses. He died without entering Canaan and because he "crucified the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame" in type, when he in anger struck the rock (that rock was Christ), when he was only to speak to the rock. The water was a type of the Holy Spirit given as a gift from the Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The faith life is just that - a life of trust in, reliance on, and dependance upon Jesus. Job's life was a faith life and that is why God's appraisal of him was "in all these things Job sinned not with his mouth." This is getting in deep water so for the sake of time let me simplify.

When I came to God as a repentant sinner, God gave me faith. It was not something I decided to exercise, "It is the gift of God." That is why as Paul said to the Thessalonians, "not all have faith." The faith I received was THE FAITH of the Son of God, Whom loved me and gave Himself for me. It is His FAITH, deposited IN me.

THAT faith does for me precisely what it did for HIM; it enables me to please God for "without faith (HIS faith) it is impossible to please Him." That faith (His faith in me), is not something I lose, but something I use. So, whatever comes from heaven or hell, comes to fulfill the purpose of God in me, which is to glorify Him. It is how Paul could say, "I glory in my infirmities," "in everything gives thanks," for ALL things worked TOGETHER for good to them that LOVE Him."

This faith (His in me), transcends tradition and trend (the way we always did it or we are doing it different now). His faith teaches me that my emotions, my preferences, my tastes, my suffering, my aches and pains, my whatever are all subjected to HIS will for it is "He who works in me causing me to will and to do of HIS good pleasure."

Finally for now, this is now some "cookie cutter" thing where my personality is demolished anymore than the personalities of the apostles were demolished. It is rather developed to glorify HIM. Do your homework! Study Biblical characters. Study the life of Jesus. Read about the saints through the ages. Some were Roman Catholic, some Congregationalists, some Presbyterian, some Calvinists, some Arminian, some passive, some aggressive, some political, some mild mannered, some martyrs, but they all possessed ONE thing in common. They live and died by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us."

Read Hebrews eleven again! Some stopped the mouths of lions, but OTHERS...." Job was one of the others and so are we. AMEN!