Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Job 14-16; 1 Corinthians 6
Devotional Thought:
Job 14:13-15 says, “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.” Job did not have all the revelation of truth that we have been entrusted with today. He was curious about what would happen after he died. He has used some very discouraging pictures to explain his depressed state of mind. He describes a flower that will be cut down, a shadow that appears for a short time, a stump that may or may not sprout again, or water that evaporates into the air. “But a man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” Zophar had told him that the only way out of his condition was to repent of his sin. However, Job knew that his situation was not in relation to any disobedience to God. Be very careful not to judge a person’s trial as the judgment of God. Job wants to die, but he is wondering “What then?” It is a life destined for depression if it is a life lived for the here and now. Job will teach us the importance of getting to know our God. Paul cries in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and power of His resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto His death.” Job, at the end of this great book, will cry out, “I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” The days that we have on this earth are not given that we may create and gain an addiction to this earth or this life. We have been given these days to prepare to stand face to face before God. When you stand before Him, will he be a stranger? Will He be someone that you know lots of facts or have accumulated knowledge about, or will He be someone you know personally, intimately, and respectfully? Job learns that his trial was not to punish him, but to drive him into a more intimate and personal understanding of God and His program. In this chapter, Job still only sees his trials and how miserable his life is, but what a transformation takes place as he gets his eyes off of his trial and unto his God. What a lesson for us!
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me grow to know you more intimately. Help me to better understand your love for me and learn to love you that way.
• Lord, please help me to see the trials of life as opportunities and not interruptions. Help me to see people as a privilege and not a problem.
• Lord, thank you for the assurance that because you arose, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I too shall rise. Thank you for reminding me that this life is temporary at best and I have a wonderful future with you!