Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Wisdom To Handle Affliction

Date: Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Chapters: Job 24-26
Message Title: Wisdom To Handle Affliction

Hello My Friend,

Knowledge is power and God trusts only His people with His power, as long as we fear Him we receive that power and the ability to overcome every situation we are faced with. Pure wisdom teaches us that if we know God He will shine through us by the good works we do as we fear Him. “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,” - 2 Corinthians 6:1,4-7.

Job has proved by examples that the righteous are often oppressed; that the wicked often triumph over the just, that the impious are always wretched even in the midst of their greatest prosperity; and he defies his friends to show one flaw in his argument, or an error in his illustration of it; and that existing facts are farther proofs of what he has advanced. “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days? Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof. They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together. Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children. They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?” - Job 24:1-5,24,25.

Though the wicked seem to be under special protection, even dying without disgrace, God keeps an account of all their wickedness and will some day make it appear that their most secret sins, which they thought no eye could see, were under His eye the whole time. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” - Romans 14:11-13.

I do not know how long Job's friends sat with him, but I imagine it seemed like a lifetime to Job as Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad constantly criticized every word he spoke to defend himself. Bildad continues, questioning Job when he said that he would be justified before God. “Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?” - Job 25:2-6.

Pure wisdom will teach a person that because of the sin nature we are born with no one can be justified by God, no matter how good we try to be we can never measure up to the goodness of God. One little sin means we would have to start all over again in hopes that we could earn our way to heaven before it is too late. That is why God had a plan to make people right with Him before it was too late, not by any good that we do, but by one good man, that man is Jesus Christ. Those that were around before Jesus came to earth looked to Him as their Saviour as well as those who look to Him now as their Saviour. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” - Romans 3:10-12,23,24,28.

Although Job felt like God had taken away his understanding of what was going on and that his soul was being tormented he knew that the Spirit of God was in him. Job was not about to let any of these men cause him to lose his integrity. “How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee? The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?” - Job 26:2-4,11-14.

Job was never as concerned about knowing the answer to why he was struggling as he was about knowing that God was in His life. The word wise means having the power of discerning and judging correctly. The word wisdom means the right use of that knowledge. You do not have to be a scholar to know that some people do not need to know certain things because if they did they would abuse it in the worst way. This kind of wisdom is evil and does not come from God, pure wisdom is worth more than gold, it is of God and everyone prospers from it. “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” - James 3:13-17.

Nothing lasts forever except eternal life, but as the saying goes, “When one door closes another opens.” We will not face affliction forever, it does not last, that is unless we want it to last. Only we have the power to let our affliction control us or to take control of our affliction. Remember, God cannot help us unless we are willing to help ourselves. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” - Revelation 3:20,21.

Today's Prayer: God, When I am facing affliction it feels like I am all alone and everyone is on my case about something. It's a big challenge to find You in the midst of all this, but I know You are there and that Your hand never leaves me. Lord, give me Your power to endure my affliction, give me the wisdom to know how to handle the situations that pop up, and fill me Your mercy and grace so that I never lose hope of an end to all this, with Your glory shining through. I ask these things in Jesus' name, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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