Month: July 2013

I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” but it tuned out to be futile. I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life with wine, and how to grasp folly – my mind still guiding me with wisdom – until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 HCSB

While in college I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. The first year I majored in history because I enjoyed history. Then I decided to change my major to pre-med but my struggles with chemistry and microbiology ended that direction for my life. It was at a family enrichment week that I discovered that God was calling me to youth ministry. I changed my major and pursued an education that would prepare me to become a youth minister. I went on to seminary and answered God’s call on my life. He has continued to guide and direct me through the years.

Solomon was searching for meaning in life. He was already the king of Israel and had all the possessions anyone could imagine. He tried pursuing pleasure, took on major projects, acquired more wealth, bought more slaves and livestock, added many concubines to his harem, and sought to have even more wisdom. Yet, nothing brought purpose and meaning to his life. We must look beyond earthly pleasures and seek what makes an eternal difference. Pursuing God will bring meaning and purpose to life.

Challenge: Where are you searching for meaning in life? Are you pursuing what God wants you to do with your life? God brings meaning to life. He knows what is right for you.

I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to seek and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 HCSB

Every week millions of people buy lottery tickets with the hope of winning millions of dollars. Winning a lot of money is not always what it is publicized to be. Too many times winning large sums of money can also bring isolation, paranoia, drugs, crime, poverty, and even prison. Money.co.uk reported on 10 lottery winners and following are just a few of the stories of those who have won the big money: One had a long list of arrests and lawsuits. His wife said she wished she had torn up the ticket. One winner won 16.2 million and later described the experience as a “nightmare”. Within a year he was one million dollars in debt and today lives on his social security payments. Another won 18 million and gave money to a variety of community causes. Eight years later she filed for bankruptcy.

Solomon sought wisdom and all that was under heaven. He said he had experienced it all (riches, power, laughter, having fun, thrill seeking, and wisdom) and had found that nothing brought true satisfaction. It was just like chasing the wind. We can pursue the “good life” but we will never actually achieve it. There is nothing wrong with having money, power, and possessions, but true happiness can only be found in God. Happiness comes from knowing God and pleasing Him.

Challenge: What are you pursuing? Seek God and follow His direction in your life. True happiness and satisfaction can only be found in living for and serving God.

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” What does a man gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 HCSB

My wife and I were so excited to purchase a brand new car when we were serving a church in Houston, Texas. The car dealer was a member of our church and made us a good deal. It was nice to have a new car, but as we drove out of the car lot it instantly became a used car and a year later I totaled it in an accident. We all strive to have more possessions – a new car, a new house, a new outfit, a new set of golf clubs, a new fishing boat or hunting rifle. But it is futile to seek possessions; all of our possession will come to an end and we cannot take them with us into eternity.

Solomon wanted people to understand that success and possessions did not last. All human accomplishments will come to an end. Solomon had power, riches, and everything that most people strive and wish for in life but he realized that all of that was futile. The word futile is derived from the Hebrew word “hevel” and can also be translated as vanity, useless, pointless, or meaningless. His point was that pleasure and possessions are fleeting and pointless.

Challenge: Are you chasing after empty pleasures, accomplishments, and possessions? Realize that they are all ultimately meaningless and futile. Only the pursuit of God will bring true satisfaction.

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his previous possessions. All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances came to his house and dined with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him concerning all the adversity the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a qesitah and a gold earring. So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. Job 42:10-12a HCSB

I heard a man speak recently who shared his story of how God had healed him of cancer and restored him to good health. I was acquainted with a woman in a previous church who received the terrible news that she had cancer. She was the mother of three small girls. Her fight against cancer continued for several years, but eventually she lost her battle and went on to be with the Lord even though many people had prayed for her healing. Why does God heal one and not the other?

Would the message we find in the book of Job have been any different if God had not restored Job’s many blessings? No, God is sovereign and always knows what is best. We think that healing and restoration to good health or the restoration of blessings is what is always best, but we do not know the future, therefore we must trust the sovereignty of God. He cares for us as His children just like we care for our children. He wants to give us what is best. Sometimes we do not give our children what they request but we give them what they need. God is a good God and cares for our every need. We must learn to accept His will even when we do not understand.

Challenge: Trust God even when you do not understand. Read Joshua 1:9, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Psalm 20:7. Listen to the song “Trust His Heart” on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=eLn0cRl-0GE&feature=endscreen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=eLn0cRl-0GE&feature=endscreen)

Now take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you. I will surely accept his prayer and not deal with you as your folly deserves. For you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has.” Job 42:8 HCSB

The meeting is about to begin and the chairman of the group asks if there are any prayer requests. After a few people share their requests the chairman opens the meeting in prayer for those who had been mentioned. On Sunday morning the Sunday School class shares prayer concerns and then one person sends a list of prayer requests to the class members via email. It is important to pray for others.

These verses tell us that Job was going to pray for his friends who had misrepresented God. They were commanded to make a sacrifice and then Job would pray for them. Even the Old Testament teaches us to pray for others. Jesus taught His disciples not only to pray for one another but to pray for their enemies. The term “folly” indicates that the words and actions of Job’s friends were not only wrong but were not even close to describing God. The large sacrifice that was called for indicates the seriousness of their sin. Job prayed for his friends even though they had accused him of wrongdoing.

Challenge: Pray for your friends and even those who may be your enemies. Forgive those who have accused you of wrongdoing. God is in the miracle business and can accomplish His will when you are willing to forgive those who have hurt you in some way.

You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform Me.” I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have see You. Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:4-6 HCSB

We all have said things that we wish we could take back. Sometimes we speak without giving thought to our words and how they will be perceived by others. There have been many times when I have “stuck my foot in my mouth” by saying something that has hurt someone’s feelings or was misunderstood in some way. I have heard people say that one should engage his brain before starting to speak.

Job was sorry for what he had said about God and for how he had questioned God and His motives for the pain and suffering he had endured. He took back his words. One can say he wants to take back his words, but once hurtful words have been verbalized, they are hard to retrieve. It is like starting down a hill on a roller coaster and wishing to disembark. Once the ride begins, it is too late to turn back. The course must be finished and the consequences of such a decision endured.

Challenge: Be careful what you say. Think before you speak or you may regret it. Ask God to help you to be mindful of your words and to always speak truthfully in a way that encourages others. If you speak positively about others, you will not have to worry about taking back your words.

Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?” Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. Job 42:1-3 HCSB

When I was an editor of youth Bible study materials, it was my job to make sure the text was correct and ready to go to the printer. I had to proofread and initial every page as a verification that all was accurate. You can only imagine how I felt when I received a call from the printer, who was in the middle of printing the Bible study materials, to tell me that we had a misspelled word in one of our graphics. It would have been easy for me to blame the graphic designer, but it was I who initialed the final proof and submitted it to the printer. Since I was the lead editor, I was responsible for the mistake. I had messed up. Fortunately, I was able to forward a corrected copy to the printer and the error was corrected.

We all mess up at times. It proves we are human and make mistakes. In these verses Job admitted to God that he was the one who had been foolish. Job did not learn the reasons for his sufferings, but he did learn that God was Sovereign and had the power to do what ever He chose. God does not have to answer to anyone for His actions. Job admitted that he had spoken incorrectly when he accused God of being unfair and unjust. It is healthy to admit when we are wrong and then to try to make it right.

Challenge: Do not worry when you make a mistake. Everyone messes up and needs guidance at times. Be willing to admit when you are wrong and ask God to help you to do what is right.

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said: Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer Me like a man, when I question you, you will inform Me. Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Job 38:1-4 HCSB

Just like Job we often want to hear from God. There have been times in my life when I had important decisions to make and wished God had spoken audibly or written on the wall. But God chooses to reveal Himself in many different ways and answer our questions or requests in a variety of methods.

Job had been questioning God and wondering why God had not answered him. In these verses we see that God did answer Job in a whirlwind. This is a different term than that used earlier to describe the windstorm that killed Job’s children. In the Bible, when God speaks, it is often associated with a storm (see Exodus 19:16-17 and 1 Kings 19:11-13).

God did not answer Job’s questions; instead He asked Job questions that revealed that He was all-powerful and all-knowing and that Job did not have a full understanding. Job had no right to question God and His wisdom since he was not a part of creating the world or the order of the world.

Challenge: Acknowledge that God is all-powerful and that He is the Creator of the Universe. He desires to have a personal relationship with you and reveal Himself to you. Thank God that He created you and He knows what is best for you. Seek His wisdom to address any problems you may be facing. Trust Him with your life in all circumstances.

He opens their ears to correction and insists they repent from iniquity. If they serve Him obediently, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness. But if they do not obey, they will cross the river of death and die without knowledge. Job 36:10-12 HCSB

There are some preachers on television who preach a message of prosperity. The message purports that if someone will obey God and do what He commands, then God will bless him with financial possessions, health, and a problem-free life. This may be the message people want to hear, but it is not Biblical.

Job’s friend, Elihu, had the same flawed view of God. He told Job that if he would only obey God that he would prosper and escape sorrow and if Job failed to obey, he would die. God may discipline someone, but He does not force obedience on anyone. He allows us the free will of choice. God’s discipline may not make us prosperous and pain-free, but it can guide us to make wise choices and save us from the judgment of God.

Certainly there are blessings that come when one obeys God and follows His teachings in the Bible, but there is no promise of prosperity. One does not have to look far to find someone who is not living for God that is blessed financially and someone else that is faithfully serving God but is facing financial and health concerns.

Challenge: Trust God and his discipline; it is for your own good. The righteous do not always prosper and too often the wicked undeservingly enjoy life’s blessings. What is God trying to say to you today? Ask God to open your ears to hear and accept His discipline in your life.

A person may be disciplined on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones, so that he detests bread, and his soul despises his favorite food. His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his unseen bones stick out. Job 33:19-21 HCSB

I enjoyed playing on the golf team for my college. It required me to be disciplined enough to regularly practice and play. Professional golfer Jason Day says, “Listening, Goal Setting, Hard Work, and Discipline are the keys to Success”. A professional golfer will usually practice six hours per day six days a week when they are not playing in a tournament. I don’t practice and seldom do I get to play golf, so I no longer play as well as I once did in college.

Elihu pleaded with Job to see that the events in his life were a result of God’s discipline. The negative experience of discipline is used with children and even adults to help a person choose the right way. Even though a professional golfer my experience fatigue and even blisters on his hands from practicing, he understands that it is required if he is going to get better. Sometimes we must endure the discipline of God so we can get better.

Challenge: God sometimes allows difficulties to come your way to test you or to guide you in the right direction. Sometimes you may see it as a failure but God can see the end and knows that the failure or problem you experience will eventually help you be a better person. Pray that you learn from your difficulties and that you trust God even in the bad times of life, knowing that He knows what is best for you.