Filed under: HOPE: A Full Time Job
“After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.” (Job 3:1) Job knew nothing of Jesus Christ. There was nothing but despair. There was no silver lining. There was no road back to yesterday. WE know, the Bible reveals, that the only way out is through redemption. Redemption comes with a personal relationship to God; it is not a faith in a creed or belief statement or concept of God. Job did not reason his way to a solution. It was after he realized there was no other way than the one God would supply.
The method that has been supplied to us is the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ – called redemption. Despite all that happens, we, like Job have a hope and like Job can face the future.
Job was depressed. To be depressed was not considered sin. Who is Job talking to when he wishes he had never been born? Why could Job not see the bright side of grief?
I have known people who have been so depressed that they speak of tunnel vision – you only see one thing. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been so down that you wished you had never been born? Do what Job did. We believe he was telling God. God will not be surprised by our feelings.
Do as David did once. He spoke to himself. “Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.” (Psalm 42:11) No matter how down you are about how things are going in your life, tell God about it.
The man I still consider to be my pastor told me that the one I marry would become 90% of my happiness or 90% of my unhappiness. Choose well! That was good advice. I’d have to say that we both married up!
After Job began loosing his life savings, employees, and even family members, his wife asked him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:9,10) In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Satan at this point had possession of Job’s intimate possessions, his sense of integrity and his health. There are times when this happens to us. This is not God’s order. God’s order is no sin, no Satan, no sickness, no limitation. We live under the permissive will of God: sin, Satan, wrong, evil. The sneer of Satan had been accepted by Job’s wife. Job found the sneer coming from his wife even worse than the one from Satan. Job believed God was honorable, a God of integrity and in the end it would be absolutely clear that God was a God of love and justice and truth.
There are times when we have no idea why a problem plagues us. We have that age old question in the back of our minds, “why does God allow suffering?” The causes are sometimes obvious. A husband leaves a wife. A father doesn’t talk to his girls. A tornado rips through a small town in Georgia. But then, there are times when the causes are unknown.
Where is hope to be found? Not in our circumstances. Hope must be found in Jesus. He is our hope. We see in Him how one man’s suffering can be turned into such glory.
A good friend of ours, Denny Kasprowicz, is a soccer coach. He has always said you learn more through defeat than you do in victory. Could there be something about suffering that is in God’s redemptive plan? Could there be room for defeat in His plan for our lives that will bring such incredible victory in the end?
What are you learning about yourself as you go through these trying times?
Filed under: HOPE: A Full Time Job
(Dr. Ernie Berkas is an inspiration to me. He was chief of staff at Oakwood Hospital here in Dearborn, but I believe his greatest “job” is the one he is doing now. He is a minister. No, he’s not ordained. But I believe that if the Holy Spirit is in you, you have a ministry (1 Corinthians 12-14). Ernie has been reading a book by Oswald Chambers called “Our Ultimate Refuge.” Chambers writings would also be published as the widely read “My Utmost For His Highest.” It is our hope that you will find your hope in Christ Jesus. He has changed both of our lives forever.
Much of what you’ll read in these thoughts will be his, but I’ll add my thoughts here and there. He didn’t want me to mention him at all. Sorry Ernie. Though you might never use these terms to describe yourself, you have become an example of Jesus to your lovely bride Mary, your family, your friends and your faith family here at Dearborn Covenant. As pastor, thank you for your prayers, your support, your ideas, and that energy that doesn’t seem to quit. To put it simply, I want to be like you when I grow up).
Oswald Chambers was a British army chaplain during WW1. In early 1917, he gave a series of lectures in Egypt to people serving there. His wife took notes with no plan of publication. The book of Job was the text of his lectures. In November of 1917, Chambers died. His wife and friends took those lectures and published them as a book called “Our Ultimate Refuge.”
Chambers had the advantage of knowing that Jesus Christ had lived and died after the book of Job was written. Therefore in 1917 and in 2009, when there is suffering that is hard to explain, there needs to be a search for the same hope that Job possessed. It is that same hope that Jesus gave to those who were suffering.
It is the plan of these writings (whether you see them in print, in email, or on Johnny’s blog at www.ispeaklife.net) to point out where hope can be found by people suffering when the cause is not apparent. We aim to present the importance of hope in the face of increasing pain. We believe that hope is necessary to cope. We believe that not every cloud has a silvery lining; some clouds are all black. We are not blind when we cannot see the bright side of everything.
Paul encouraged “those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17) Where are you placing your hope? Where do you find hope? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) In his first letter to his protégé, Paul noted that “Christ Jesus (is) our hope.” (1 Timothy 1:1) My hope is built on nothing less!
WHERE SHALL WE FIND HOPE_Day One: God and Satan Talk About Job
Job lived during the patriarchal period and was probably a contemporary of Isaac, Jacob or Joseph. Job is the first of five poetic books and is the first of the three classified as Wisdom Literature. Within its 42 chapters, God and Satan talk about Job in the heavenly realms. Satan was given permission to subject Job to suffering in ways that Job could not understand. He had four friends who visited, attempting to console him.
Job, from Uz, was the greatest man in the East. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He was upright, feared God and shunned evil. He trusted God and because of that trust, God would prosper him His creed was that he believed God would prosper an upright man. It is important to note that his trust was in God, not his creed.
Satan thought differently. He thought Job was God fearing because God blessed him. Take away God’s blessing and you’ll take away Job’s desire be with God, follow Him and fear Him. That’s what the enemy thought. “Take away God’s blessing and Job will be thorugh with God.”
Is that what you need? Do we need God’s blessing to continue to trust Him? We have had a revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Do we see God’s love by reading, meditating and following the words of Jesus Christ? The control of all that Job owned was in the control of Satan (1:12). God gave that control to Satan.
Jesus tells us “life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15) Because Job didn’t know of Christ, there was despair. He knew nothing after a lifetime on earth. The patience of Job (James 5:11), mentioned by the brother of Jesus tells us Job was patient with God. He didn’t like what was happening but he didn’t blame God.
Where is your hope?
Filed under: journal
While my wife Michelle is was away this weekend with our eldest daughter, Christina, at a retreat at Portage Lake, I took Sierra and Rebecca to the dollar theater in Allen Park to see Marley & Me. The movie hit home because I’m such a sucker for furry felines and crazy canines. Our home is actually full of them right now… kids and animals. What was funny was Marley (and our own one year old) had a problem with chewing everything in sight. She’s doing much better now!
The characters in the story are John & Jen. John is a writer, and he surprises himself by each new promotion. After movies like this where the main character is a writer (Runaway Bride, etc.), it always takes me back to when I used to write for a living.
There was a startup newspaper in the Pinckney-Lakeland-Hamburg area just north of Ann Arbor and south of Brighton. I wrote “Leadership Lessons,” as well as general news articles. From there, like John, I surprised myself. I landed a full time gig with the Insider Business Journal. Now that was a blast. I had a runners high most weeks working there, because I was either out meeting some pretty amazing people, writing from home, or writing in our office. Our office was a complete blast as well. (I need to look up Cal Stone, my former editor.)
When we were in Napa I got to write for the Napa Valley Business Times, the NV Register, and also freelanced for Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine.
I love writing. I just haven’t done it in a while. It’s time to start using what’s been given to me.
Are you using what’s been given to you? Are you spending time with the most important people (and felines, and canines) in your life? Don’t forget to walk the dog, or go on a walk with the family.
Filed under: Uncategorized
This weekend we’ll continue our walk through the book of James at my church, but let me first draw your attention to something Paul said in Romans 12. Paul had laid out the message of Jesus by writing how we could not be made right with God by being good people (Romans 3:20) but that righteousness comes through faith in Christ (3:22). It was “while we were still sinners that Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 ) Looking back on all God did for us, Paul wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” (12:1) I love what someone told me as I was growing up in the faith. Since He died for me, I’ll live for Him.
That’s James’ message in a nutshell. James asked, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it…” (James 3:13) If you have gained from the wisdom of the Scriptures and gained some level of understanding about a relationship with Jesus, show it. If there is something you have learned today in your quiet time, show it. If God is teaching you something on Sundays, show it. It’s all about being conspicuous with your faith.
Being conspicuous is simply being easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable; clear; distinct; evident. There’s evidence you follow Jesus. It’s opposite is concealing your faith, keeping it hidden, obscure. Keeping it a secret. Being unnoticeable; unremarkable. How conspicuous are you about your faith? James says, “Let him show it by his good life.” What are you showing to others about your faith in Christ? If your faith is a real faith, if it’s an active faith, it’ll show.
I don’t know if you knew this, but we have some young moms who are expecting children. If they’re not showing now, they will be! Are you pregnant in your faith? Are you showing? Is it evident that there is something growing inside of you? Write me and tell me who in your life has made the most difference, and did it have something to do with living conspicuously?
