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Archive for the ‘Knowing God’ Category

God Alone Justifies

Posted in Job, Knowing God on May 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 7″Why do the wicked still live,
         Continue on, also become very powerful?
    8″Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
         And their offspring before their eyes,
    9Their houses are safe from fear,
         And the rod of God is not on them. Job 21: 7-9

6Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm and said,
    7″Now gird up your loins like a man;
         I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
    8″Will you really annul My judgment?
         Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
    9″Or do you have an arm like God,
         And can you thunder with a voice like His?
    10″Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
         And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
    11″Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
         And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.
    12″Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him,
         And tread down the wicked where they stand.
    13″Hide them in the dust together;
         Bind them in the hidden place.
    14″Then I will also confess to you,
         That your own right hand can save you. Job 40: 6-14

Earlier Job complained that God had turned His anger on Job when Job did nothing wrong.  Job also complained that God seemed to let the wicked prosper.  Job argued that he was justified because he always did what was right, and God had no justification for “punishing” Job.

So God asks Job if he discredits God’s judgment.  Why does Job condemn God to justify himself?  God then asks Job if he is like God, can Job bring down the wicked, if so, and then God will admit that Job can save himself.

Job’s justification is not reliant on his works but solely rests on who God is.  God is the only one who can bring a proud man low and judge the wicked.  We are never justified by our works but by our faith in God.  God counted Job righteous because of Job’s faith in God.  Job feared God and shunned evil.  Job counted all of his good works and thought he was justified based on what he had done and how he stayed away from evil.  Job thought God was unjust since he believed God turned on him without cause. 

God demonstrates His glory and power to Job and shows Job that God is just and no one is like Him.  All creation is subject to God, and God deals with creation according to His will and purpose.  God can show mercy to whomever He wants including the wicked.  It is God alone that justifies man.

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God’s Glory Revealed

Posted in God's Glory, Job, Knowing God on May 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 12″Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
         And caused the dawn to know its place,

13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
         And the wicked be shaken out of it?

 16″Have you entered into the springs of the sea
         Or walked in the recesses of the deep?
   
19“Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
         And darkness, where is its place,
20That you may take it to its territory
         And that you may discern the paths to its home?

 24″Where is the way that the light is divided,
         Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
 25″Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
         Or a way for the thunderbolt,
 26To bring rain on a land without people,
         On a desert without a man in it,
 27To satisfy the waste and desolate land
         And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?

Job 38:12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 24-27

God asks Job a series of questions about creation and whether or not he can do the things God does.  God displays His power to Job.  God is the one that commands the morning.  God is the creator of all things.  There is no one like God.  There is no one greater or above God. 

Have you ever marveled at the things of this world?  Do you think about how God brings forth day and night?  It is amazing how all the seasons work together.  God brings sunshine, rain, snow, hail, thunder and lightning.  These are things that simply demonstrate the awesome power of God.

We never have to be afraid of the things that happen in our lives because God is in control.  Even if things do not go our way today, God will command a new day tomorrow and things will be renewed.  So let us not worry about things that are not in our control, but rest in knowing they are in God’s control.

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Wrong Theology

Posted in Job, Knowing God, Satan on April 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 17“Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,
    So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
 18“For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;
    He wounds, and His hands also heal.  Job 5: 17-19

 3″Does God pervert justice?
    Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
  4“If your sons sinned against Him,
    Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.
  5“If you would seek God
    And implore the compassion of the Almighty,
  6 If you are pure and upright,
    Surely now He would rouse Himself for you
    And restore your righteous estate. Job 8:3-6

Job had lost his children, his livelihood and his health.  Since, Job was suffering and sick his friends concluded that it must be a result of sin.  They encouraged Job to return to God and repent.  They thought that God would not punish the innocent, only the wicked get punished.  So Job must have done something wicked and God was correcting him.  This is wrong theology.  God does not punish us to correct us.  Even if Job had sinned God would not have destroyed Job’s life to teach him a lesson.  Too often, we attribute sickness and disease as punishment from God.  God loves us and would not use sickness and disease to  teach us a lesson.  Yes God disciplines us but not at the expense of our lives.

We know that God did see Job as a righteous man so there was no need for Job to get right with God.  Job did not lose his righteous state, he was attacked by Satan.  Satan is responsible for all that has happened to Job.  Satan did this to try and discredit Job and get Job to curse God.

The last thing Job needed from his friends was judgment.  Job was looking for comfort and they did not offer any.  Also, they thought they were defending God by explaining to Job why he was suffering and why his children died – all because of sin.

We should never judge another person’s situation when we do not understand all that is going on.  None of us know why all this happened to Job.  We are never given an explanation as to why God allowed Satan to inflict such pain on Job.  We do know it was not due to Job’s sins, because God said Job was righteous.  So let’s just mourn with those that mourn and stand in faith that God will see them through.  We are not to judge others, but to love and build them up.  This is what friends do.

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Job the Worshiper

Posted in Job, Knowing God, Satan on March 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

He said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
  And naked I shall return there
  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
  Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.  Job 1:18-22

After God allowed Satan to test Job, Job got word that all of his livestock and servants had died.  Then he got word that his children were killed.  What was Job’s response?  He worshiped God.  He didn’t grab a weapon and go after the men who had attacked.  He didn’t take his own life.  He did what he knew to do and that was to worship God.

From Job’s response we can see that Job was a worshipper.  It was instinctive.  When we are stressed out or in shock our only response is doing something that is familiar or what we have been trained to do.  Worship was second nature to Job because in all that happened he responds by worshiping God.

Job also proved Satan to be a liar, because Satan accused Job of only following God because of what God had given him.  But now that Job had lost his possessions and family he still responded out of reverence to God.  Job still acknowledged God.  Even the scripture makes the point in all that Job did he did not sin nor did he blame God.  Job blessed the Lord.

So in a crisis what is our response?  Do we blame God or curse Him?  Can we simply recognize that despite our situation God is still God and is worthy of our praise.  Not because of what He has given us but because of who He is.  Even though Job did not recognize that Satan was at work and believed that God had taken away what He had given to Job, Job still blessed the Lord.  God is looking for true worshipers.

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Satan Subject to God

Posted in Job, Knowing God, Satan on March 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

 The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”  Job 1: 6-7

Satan is not equal to God in power or sovereignty; instead Satan is subject to God and cannot act without God’s permission.  Just as we have to give an account to God, so does Satan.  This is why we can stand on the promises of God and know that God is ultimately in control.  However, we also need to understand that Satan is our enemy who seeks to steal, destroy and kill.  As Peter says in the New Testament, Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1 Peter 5:8).  The good news is Satan is limited by God.  Satan is not omnipresent (everywhere) like God.  Satan is not omniscient (knowing everything) like God.  Satan is not God.  Remember Satan was an angel that was thrown out of heaven.

Satan is considered the prince of the earth, but let us remember that when Jesus came He took back dominion over the earth and returned it to man.  Satan is now subject to us.  He really has no power over us unless we give it to him.  We have the authority to say “no” to Satan.  Satan is a defeated foe and the accuser of brethren.  We can silence him by proving his accusations of being false.  Remember Satan wants nothing more than to destroy us. 

We see this in the story of Job.  God is not out to destroy Job, Satan wants him destroyed.  Fortunately, for Job Satan cannot do anything without God’s permission.

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What Are You Seeking?

Posted in Jesus, Knowing God, The Father on March 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 4One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
  That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
  To behold the beauty of the LORD
  And to meditate in His temple.
 5For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
  In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
  He will lift me up on a rock. Psalm 27:4-5

The Christian life is not easy.  We face many obstacles and seem to be constantly at war with our flesh.  Then you add all the trouble in the world and life can be overwhelming.  However, it is great to know that we can find comfort in God.  We should seek after spending time with God.  When we spend time with God, He will conceal us from trouble and hide us in the secret place.  In God’s presence all our troubles seem to go away.

It is important that we take time to seek after the things of God.  If not, we can be overcome by the cares of the world.  Even Jesus found quiet time to be alone with the Father.  Jesus was connected to the Father, but Jesus was also a man and got tired and worn out; so Jesus found strength in the Father’s presence.

The above scripture is not a future event.  We can seek the Lord now and dwell with Him for the rest of our lives.  We are His temple and we can meditate on His goodness and presence.   There is nothing that an separate us from the Father.  So let us seek Him while He may be found.

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Where’s Your Hope?

Posted in Knowing God, The Father on March 9, 2010| 4 Comments »

17A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. 18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, 19To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:17-19

People are angry.  There are many that are unemployed, losing their homes, losing their money, and have lost all hope in our government.  There are even those taking their frustrations out in violent acts – a man flew his plane into the IRS building, shootings at jobs and schools, the news is not good.  So where is your hope?

In the midst of all that is happening I am ever more aware of God’s presence and favor.  My hope is in Him and He has not disappointed me.  I have witnessed and hear more testimonies about God’s goodness in this time of famine than any other time in my life. 

Remember when people were prospering in the 90s, stock market was rising and people were making a lot of money in their retirement plans.  People were buying homes and selling for a profit.  Millionaires were popping up everywhere.  People were happy and thought “let the good times roll.”  Then the bottom dropped.  Where was their hope?  It was a false hope in something that could not last or could deliver them in times of trouble.

Hoping in God gives you an unspeakable joy.  It is the joy you feel even when your world is crashing around you.  Isn’t like God to take the worst situation and make it the best?  We experience and see God’s glory in the worst of times.  So even as I read all the news and see things getting worse, I know God’s glory will be revealed and we will know to put our hope in Him alone.

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God is Good

Posted in Knowing God on February 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:18

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17

God is good.  No one is good except God.  The good that we do is because of God.  Everything from God is good.  Every good thing we get is from God.  No matter who you are every good thing is from God.  That is why we even see the wicked prosper.  God is worthy of the praise and honor.  We are to acknowledge God in everything.  We have been created to do good works through Jesus.

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God is Faithful

Posted in Knowing God on February 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving-kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;” Deuteronomy 7:9

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

God is faithful and will keep His promises.  We see this in the Old Testament when God made a covenant with Abraham.  God remained faithful to Israel, despite the unfaithfulness of Israel at times.  Whenever Israel sinned God remembered the covenant with Abraham and the generations that followed.

After Adam had sinned and man had fallen, God was faithful in sending His own son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  God’s faithfulness does not depend on us but God’s faithfulness is who He is.  God remains faithful even when we are faithless.  So whatever God says He will do, He will do.  He will not go back on His word.  We can depend on what God says and He will always be faithful to us.

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Joy of God

Posted in Knowing God, Uncategorized on February 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Our strength comes from the joy of the Lord.  The Thessalonian church was going through trials and tribulations but the joy of the Holy Spirit strengthened them and they were able to receive the word and become imitators of Christ.

We to face many trials and tribulations but the joy of the Lord will strengthen us in our hour of need.  The joy from the Lord is supernatural, it is beyond human comprehension.  It’s the joy that can fill us even after we have mourned through the night.  God is the one that can turn our sorrow into joy.  God is full of joy and will fill us with that same joy.

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