January 5, 2019
My dear Brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given you for today is from the book of Job 13:15, “Though He slay me yet will I trust Him. Even so, before Him. I will defend my own ways, before Him”.
Job was a wealthy man. He lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, and upright and one who feared God and shunned evil. Being a wealthy man he lived with his large family and extensive flocks. Job had seven sons and three daughters. He retained his piety throughout his lifetime. God boasts about Job’s goodness. But satan argues that Job was good because God had blessed him abundantly. The book of Job relates the sufferings of Job over a period of time. God Himself allowed satan to test Job. God set out to prove to satan that Job is righteous just because he is being blessed. God allowed satan to have power over Job, but not to lay his finger on the man. Therefore Job lost everything, his sheep, oxen camels, his servants, and all his sons and daughters. But remarkably he did not lose his faith in God. So we see how Job lost everything. Having Lost everything Job arose, tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell to the ground and worshiped God and said, “ Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”.
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Even Job’s friends doubted him and started to blame him for his own troubles. They thought he must have sinned to suffer such trials. Like the refiners fire God often uses sufferings that we might depend upon him totally. It may be that he is trying to get our attention through the sufferings. Even when his wife rebuked him saying,
“Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die. Job replied to her,”’ You are talking like a foolish woman . Shall we expect good from God and not trouble.” Since Job was righteous and blameless God blessed the latter part of Job life more than the beginning. Though his friends despised him he prayed for them and therefore the Lord restored Job’s losses. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. My dear brothers and sisters If you too will endure sufferings like Job patiently God will honor you and give you double portion of blessing.
God bless you.
Prayer:
Our loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for this blessed day. Lord teach us to be faithful like Job and not to sin against you. Help us to bear the sufferings patiently in our life. Lord give us the desire to stand firm for You and your glory that we too might inherit a double portion of blessing. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
