How to be Righteous and Pure…

Read: Job 24-28
Marked: Job 25:4, How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure [who is] born of a woman?

These are good questions. God, who alone is righteous, will not allow sin to go unpunished. The problem is that our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

No amount of righteous behaviour can undo the unrighteous acts we have committed. Our good can never outweigh our bad.

Matter of fact, we were born in unrighteousness. The sin of Adam and Eve has been passed on to every generation. But what we are unable to do in and of ourselves, God is able to do.

He made a way for us to be made righteous before Him. It is through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, and by faith in Him, that God can declare us righteous. This is the grace of God.

Do You Desire His Ways?…

Read: Job 21-23
Marked: Job 21:14, Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

We all have choices. We can choose righteousness over wickedness, or, receiving God over rejecting God.

Some reject God because they say they don’t believe in Him. But is this true? The Scripture says those who reject Him don’t “desire the knowledge of His ways”.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:10 we read, “they did not receive the love of the truth”. Some will say they’ll believe in Him when they see Him, thinking perhaps they can reason with God as to why they did not believe Him while on the earth. But why would they receive the truth then and not now?

Since they have no desire for the knowledge of His ways and do not receive the love of the truth now, there is no reason to believe they’ll change their minds then.

Holding Fast…

Read: Job 17-20
Marked: Job 17:9, Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.

In times of crisis, when the road becomes difficult and we grow weary, that is the time to hold fast to the way of righteousness.

The righteous are revealed in the fires of adversity. Will they hold the way or be moved to turn from the path?

When the righteous hold to the way they experience the victory of the faithful. No matter how long they might suffer the trials and temptations of this life, what they have in Jesus is worth the effort.

He makes the righteous stronger because He holds them in His hand and has overcome the world, and the enemy which is death.

The Grave is Not the End…

Read: Job 14-16
Marked: Job 14:13, “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!”

Hebrews 9:27 says that is appointed for man to die once, but after this the judgment. The grave is not the end and we mustn’t believe that death will hide us from the wrath of God to come. And it will come.

Romans 1:18 confirms this. The wrath of God will be revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. After death we are all destined to be judged.

The only concealment from God’s wrath is the blood of Jesus. It is God’s love for His Son which is bestowed on us when we place our faith, hope, and trust in Him alone.

The time has been appointed. It is set. But we don’t know when. Therefore, today is the day of Salvation. I urge you, if you haven’t already, seek Christ.

The Mirror of God…

Read: Job 10-13
Marked: Job 13:23, How many [are] my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.

No matter how good I may feel or believe I am, if I would openly and honestly ask God to reveal my iniquities, transgressions, and sins, I think I would not be surprised to find that I’m really not as good as I think I am.

This may be a reason why people don’t read the Bible much because they don’t like what they see of themselves in its pages. The Bible is like a mirror revealing the true state of our nature and we don’t always like what we see.

But we can’t escape the truth. Sin will be dealt with now or at a later time when the judgment of God comes upon us all.

Treat the Afflicted with Kindness…

Read: Job 6-9
Marked: Job 6:14, “To him who is afflicted, kindness [should be shown] by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”

How do I treat the afflicted? It’s not even those who are sick in body. What about those who are sick mentally or spiritually?

Peter says I am to be ready to give an reason for the Hope I have and to do so with meekness and fear, or gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

I have no cause to be belligerent with anyone if I want to reach them with the gospel, especially those who do not know the Lord.

I shouldn’t be shocked by the sin that sinners commit. They do not know what they are doing. Only the light of the gospel will help lead them out of the darkness of sin.

What Does Your Ear Receive?…

Read: Job 1-5
Marked: Job 4:12-15, “Now a word was secretly brought to me, And my ear received a whisper of it. In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my body stood up.”

Eliphaz has come with his companions to bring comfort to Job. But the word he brings Job is a word of condemnation. Where did he get this word? He tells us in these verses.

It was a secret word. It was a whispered word. It was a disquieting word. It brought fear and trembling and made his bones shake. A spirit brought the word and the hair on his body stood up. Was this a word from God?

God does not speak in secret. His word is here for all to see. It is not whispered, but shouts loudly to all who will listen. It is not a disquieting word, but an uplifting word. While God’s word, at times, bring fear and trembling, His word is a word of truth and righteousness, not a word of condemnation.

The word the Holy Spirit brings is a word of comfort and love and grace and mercy. What a difference between the word of darkness and the word of light. God gives us a spirit of discernment to tell the difference.

Why Give Thanks to God?…

Read: Genesis 8-11
Marked: Genesis 8:20, Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

One of the first acts Noah does, after coming out of the ark, is worship God with a burnt offering.

Noah and his family had just come through the worst event in human history. Yet, his thoughts are on serving God and giving thanks.

How often I forget to thank God for graciously protecting me and watching over me and my family during a difficult time.

It is easy to forget to be mindful of the goodness of God, and the trials and difficulties He has saved me from all my life.

Ruling Over Sin…

Read: Genesis 4-7
Marked: Genesis 4:7, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire [is] for you, but you should rule over it.”

It was the sin of Adam and Eve which lead to their expulsion from Eden, the garden which God had prepared for them.

Now Cain allowed anger, jealousy, and pride to cause him to kill his own brother because his brother’s offering was accepted while his was not.

The destructive nature of sin has its root in how we feel about ourselves. If what we do is about us we open ourselves to pride. But these emotions, anger, jealousy, and pride can be overcome.

Allowing God to influence us by His Spirit and through His Word is the first step in learning to rule over sin. If God is not our Master, then we will be slaves to sin.

The God Who Provides…

Read: Genesis 1-3
Marked: Genesis 1:11, Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb [that] yields seed, [and] the fruit tree [that] yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed [is] in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.

One of the names of God is provider. He really is and I see that in this verse. Before God created any creatures, or man, He ensured the earth could sustain us.

God always provides for those who seek Him. Even for those who don’t. I need never worry that He will overlook something I truly need.

If God cares for the plants and the animals, how much more will He care for you? He is God our provider.