Day 7: Job 14-16

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2014-16&version=NIV

I love how alive and active the word of God is. I love how God can take something you are studying in His word and find ways to teach you about it. Often that happens for me in books that I am reading. My friend Annika recently gave me the book “Keeping the Secrets of Jesus” by David and Denise Glenn, and I read a portion that I want to share with you. So I am using someone else’s material today, because their words are so very wise.

When I read this portion that I’ll share, it struck me that Job’s friends would do well to read this. But more than that, what the Holy Spirit said was, ‘Carol, you would do well to read and remember this. See, the problem is that both myself and the friends of Job make the mistake of looking at the lives of others through our human world view and through human wisdom and then respond accordingly and often pray for them accordingly. When we do that, we are certain to be in no good as counselors or intercessors to the one who needs us to be Christ to them. So often when we use our own world view and wisdom, we condemn others without realizing our sins are just as obvious or even more so than those for whom we pray or seek to advise. Sound like Job’s friends?

Here is what I read:

“Jesus describes the difference between our sin and the sins we see in others, saying: ‘Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’ – Matthew 7:1-5

Jesus warns us not do criticize and condemn others, without recognizing the sin in our own lives. To get the ‘logs’ out of our eyes, we’ll need some strong fire power. We’ll need something to dislodge these old habits of thinking and acting we’ve been clinging to. We’ll need to wage a war against old patterns of thought.

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – Paul says that we are to wage a war against arguments and pretentions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. The word translated arguments in the NIV bible, or speculations in the NASV, or imaginations in the KJV, is the Greek word logismos. It means ‘reasoning (such as is hostile to the Christian faith), computation or reckoning, or a judgment or decision that your conscious mind passes’

These are the ‘logs’ Jesus refers to in Matthew 7. Perhaps Jesus, who knows all languages, must have known logismos, a Greek word, and log, an English word, would combine to express the concept here. These hostile arguments and reasonings in our logical minds are the ‘logs’ or logismos, or log jams that must go.”

Do you see, friends, why I felt like this applied to what we’ve read in Job. His friends who are supposed to be comforter and counselors, are too busy looking at Job and his struggles from their own human arguments, speculations, or imaginations instead of seeking God for his wisdom, understanding, and counsel. They are too busy happily pointing out that Job’s life must be filled to the brim with sin to see their own sin and their own pride.

What are the results? They prove useless of counselors or comforters. And you will see when you get to the end of the story that they will be measured and judged according to the standards that have used. I pray, friends, that we do not do the same. God has the ability to transform our minds and our thoughts and make them obedient to his truth. The next time you sit with a friend who is in the middle of a trial or a friend who is hurting seeks advice and comfort from you, I urge you to pray as the friend speaks, remain silent and let God show you the way you should answer. And if you don’t here from God, love your friend well, offer comfort, and ask them if you can pray about what they are dealing with and get back to them. I have had friends do that for me, and there is an immense deal of comfort in that response. I want friends to give me Godly advice from the source – not good advice of their own.

Here is a question for you to ponder. How might Job’s own arguments, speculations, or imaginations be affecting his struggle? Here is something for you to watch for – watch for God to renew his mind – and notice that God does not reveal why, but instead he reveals who – who he is in his power and sovereignty and holiness.

My friends, it has been a pleasure to study the word with you this week. You have undertaken a task that is God-honoring. I pray that God will continue to strengthen you in your efforts to seek Him and know Him more. I pray that by the power of revelation you might, through your reading, come to know and understand how deep, how wide, and how long is the love of Christ.

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels