Bible League: Living His Word "In the past I heard about you,but now I have seen you with my own eyes." Even though the Lord was proud of Job he allowed Satan to test him by taking away his wealth, children, and health (Job 1 and 2). Hearing about this, Job's friends came to visit him and comfort him. After the friends finished what they had to say and after Job responded to them, the Lord Himself spoke to Job. He spoke to Him from a whirlwind (Job 38:1). The words of our verse for today are a part of what Job said in response to the Lord's speech from the whirlwind. In the past Job had heard about the Lord. He probably heard about the Lord from his ancestors and any wise people he may have come in contact with. Job did not take this instruction as mere hearsay. He believed what he was told. He believed in the existence of the Lord, he trusted in the Lord, and he was obedient to the Lord. That's why the Lord bragged about him to Satan and that's why Satan wanted to test him and prove the Lord wrong (Job 1:8-12; Job 2:3-6). Job's whirlwind experience, however, was a whole new level of divine encounter. Instead of experiencing the Lord by hearing about Him, the Lord spoke to him personally. We should not assume that Job had a direct experience of the Lord Himself, even though he said "I have seen you with my own eyes," for no one can see the Lord directly and live (Exodus 33:20). Rather, he saw and heard the Lord indirectly through the whirlwind. Although we may never personally encounter the Lord in a whirlwind, the Lord still speaks to His people in personal ways. It could be anything. It could be a thought that pops into our mind. It could be an inner voice that we hear. It could be a dream or a vision. It could be a given set of circumstances. It could be any of a hundred other ways as well. The Lord spoke to Balaam through a donkey, Daniel through an angel, and the church father Augustine through a child. The Lord seems to show no partiality when it comes to the selection of the creaturely for use as vehicles of personal revelation. Don't be surprised, then, if the Lord sends a personal word to you. Don't be surprised if one of His creatures bears a personal word that is exactly what you need to hear. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 10, 11, 12 Ezekiel 10 -- Vision of God's Glory Departing from the Temple NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 11 -- Evil Rulers to Be Judged; Israel's Promised Return NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 12 -- Ezekiel Fears for Exile NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Hebrews 11:1-19 Hebrews 11 -- Hall of Fame of Faith NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.Insight There is more to Christian living than simply loving other Christians. We must be responsible in all areas of life. Some of the Thessalonian Christians had adopted a life of idleness, depending on others for handouts. Some Greeks looked down on manual labor. So Paul told the Thessalonians to work hard and live a quiet life. Challenge You can't be effective in sharing your faith with others if they don't respect you. Whatever you do, do it faithfully and be a positive force in society. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Deuteronomy 32:9 The Lord's portion is his people.How are they his? By his own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set his love upon them. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which he foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom he would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are they his by his unconstrained election. They are not only his by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for them to the utmost farthing, hence about his title there can be no dispute. Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's portion has been fully redeemed. There is no mortgage on his estate; no suits can be raised by opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord's freehold forever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for "the Lord knoweth them that are his;" he forgetteth none of those whom he has redeemed from among men; he counts the sheep for whom he laid down his life, and remembers well the Church for which he gave himself. They are also his by conquest. What a battle he had in us before we would be won! How long he laid siege to our hearts! How often he sent us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against him. Do we not remember that glorious hour when he carried our hearts by storm? When he placed his cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of his omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of his omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do his will, and to show forth his glory. Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 2 Corinthians 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 1 John 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. Ephesians 3:17-19 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, • may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, • and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 1 John 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 3:24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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