The Lord is my Shepherd
Job 1 (NRSV) Chapter 1
1 There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 4 His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another’s houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” This is what Job always did.
Attack on Job’s Character
6 One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.” 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job Loses Property and Children
13 One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 He 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.”
22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
Have you ever asked the question, “Why me, Lord?” If you live long enough, you will experience illness, hardship, loss, and even betrayal. I have often heard, and I believe, that it matters less what happens in our lives than how we react to our problems. When Job was attacked by Satan, he could have asked why, but would that question have resulted in a way out? It is unlikely.
So how do we remain standing when all hope has failed? We trust in and rely upon the One who created us, the One who redeemed us, and the One who sustains us. We stay in the Word, we sing praises to His name, and we pray without ceasing.
Sound simple? The lesson is not in knowing what to do, but in continuing regardless of our circumstances. When we can praise God, when we can pray for adversaries, when we wait on the Lord, then even if deliverance is not speedy, God’s presence is assured.
May we begin and end each day with the name of Jesus on our lips.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
To Abide
1 John 4:12-16 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Words are cheap.” You may not realize that this phrase is attributed to Charlie Chaplin. It means, of course, that it is our deeds that count.
Today’s scripture tells us we can know God’s love always abides in us if we abide in love. To me, love is not the key word here. Instead, the key word is abide.
- Relationship over Effort: Abiding is not a special level of Christian experience but the position of a believer who is “in Christ,” depending on Him for life and spiritual nourishment, similar to how a branch derives life from the vine.
- Remaining in His Word: To abide means allowing Jesus’ teachings to reside in you, guiding your actions, thoughts, and decisions.
- Loving Obedience: Jesus defines abiding as obeying His commandments and resting in His love.
- Continuous Communion: It is a lifestyle of walking with God daily, not a temporary, sporadic activity, emphasizing constant dependence rather than infrequent interaction. (Got questions)
May we depend, reside and abide daily in the Savior’s love, sharing His amazing capacity for love with others, then we will truly be walking not in words alone, but in deed.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Live like Easter People
1 John 4:7-11 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Yesterday we celebrated another Easter, and the older I become the more I understand the extreme love of God. He had one plan for the redemption of mankind—let’s call it Plan A.
Some might think of the Great Flood as Plan A, but no, the flood cleansed the earth without redemption of sin. The earth became repopulated but with no less sin than before.
It took a Savior, one born without sin, to redeem mankind and provide that living hope that only He could give. There was never a need for another plan, never a reason for a do-over.
May we accept the salvation provided by God, love with His love, forgive with His heart, and live as Easter people all year long.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Silent Saturday
Psalms 31:1-5 1 In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Yesterday we remembered Good Friday. I wondered as a child why we call it good. It had to have been the worst day of God’s existence. From the foundation of the world, He knew that Jesus would be the Lamb for sinners slain, yet to experience the extreme cruelty of man and the unthinkable suffering of Jesus had to have been almost unbearable.
But, the timing was finally right. Jesus came, he died, and now He lay in a cold tomb. All hope seemed gone, the light of salvation extinguished by the darkness of death.
Hope seemed gone. But hope mixed with faith is never gone. The silence of Saturday reminds us that even when God is not speaking, He is still working on our behalf.
May we remember today that Sunday is still coming. Sunday, the fulfillment of our hope, the realization of our faith, and the resurrection of our Redeemer. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Last Supper
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Institution of the Lord’s Supper
(Matt. 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:14–23)
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Today is Maundy Thursday, and we commemorate the last supper Jesus had with His disciples. In many churches Holy Communion is a sacrament, meaning it was something Jesus instituted.
When we partake of the cup and the bread, we are reminded that this is God’s table, and we are to remember the sacrifice and receive His grace each time we approach.
As the disciples fellowshipped with Jesus, they had no idea this was the final time they would break bread with Him. Only Judas knew his betrayal was imminent and even he was unaware that this would be the catalyst for salvation’s plan.
May we, as we approach Easter Sunday, allow the blessed events of Holy Week to permeate our beings and may we never take for granted all that Jesus did to purchase our salvation.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 