His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. – Jeremiah 20:9
We continue on the journey through the book of Job and share thoughts in post like “Spirit Will Be Aflame” so there is plenty of kindling to keep the fire burning with more wisdom and understanding as we enthusiastically seek God’s excellence and truth.
There is a vulnerability to mediocrity and deception in the things of the world so this day with God, we will release the Good News and share songs like Start A Fire by Unspoken. As the song says, start a fire in your soul and make it grow for nothing will remain the same since the Spirit is aflame. Let it burn so brightly so everyone can see and receive the warmth.
This day with God, start a fire in your heart and soul. Let is spread and for nothing will remain the same since the Spirit will be aflame. We’ve been on a spiritual journey through the book of Job which is about a man who once had it all; health, wealth, family, and respect among his peers. Then he lost it all!
Job’s friends believe he is being punished but Job says he has done nothing wrong. In Job 32, we are introduced to another person named Elihu who had been sitting back listening to the conversation. Elihu’s became angry because Job had justified himself as righteous and the friends had not found a way to refute Job so Elihu began to speak. He had been silent because he was younger and thought wisdom was in those older who had experienced the things of this world.
He couldn’t hold back any longer with what he wanted to say and brings up a new thought to the conversation. He said maybe God brings suffering not to punish us but to keep us from sinning in the future. Elihu says that it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding (v. 8).
The thought for me in reflection on today’s passage is that the world brings us much to be thankful for but also brings much hardship like Job faced. If we can work at putting things into perspective, I think we gain some advantage. Daily going to God’s Word, reflection, and prayer help us understand that at the end of this life on earth, a new improved life is waiting for each of us. So today, let’s get excited about the right now and enthusiastically make each day in the future better than the past.
We are grateful each day Lord because we get to study Your Word and gain wisdom. We enthusiastically seek Your excellence and truth. Help us overcome the mediocrity and deception of the things of this world and fan the flame within our heart so it warms the soul of many. Amen.
Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5
Like noted in the post “Path to Excellence”, ever since the Garden of Eden the world has been broken. We get deceived and it’s hard to get it all together.
It is worldly deception entering into the heart that leads to mediocrity. There is a need to be honest with ourselves and have the attitude of knowing where we fall short and what we need to do. The solution is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. We can then begin to absorb the ways of the Lord. When we accept the excellence and truth from the Lord, we have taken the first step at clearing the path of mediocrity so we can step ahead on path that leads to excellence.
Like pointed out in the song Truth Be Told by Matthew West, nothing is perfect in this world. The truth is rarely told so to fix it, we need to be honest and admit it. This day, let us accept Christ to help us fix it and be inspired to step ahead as we absorb the ways of the Lord.
I remember one time when my wife and I put an office chair together. We struggled because some of the parts didn’t line up. The product was defective and things didn’t fit together. When things don’t line up, we don’t have a chance. It’s the same with our life plan. If it doesn’t fit with what God wants, it’s not going to work. If our life plan lines up with what God has laid out, we can then be made into people of great usefulness for His glory.
We note in reading Job 31 today that Job claims that his life plan lines up. He said that he had been a faithful husband, a family man, a fair employer, a concerned person for the needy, and a law abiding citizen. He claims to be a man of the right attitudes and behavior towards others and the community in which he lives.
From the beginning of the book of Job, we know that Job lost his children, his livestock, and his property. He then had painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head (Job 2:7).
During these third round of speeches, accomplished are two sides of the story much like during a trial when we have witnesses and a judge. Job says he has always been a man of integrity but his friends say he is going through difficulty because he is being punished.
Since the Garden of Eden, the world became a place of deception. We don’t know which side to believe. We can be thankful that God has entered in through Jesus Christ to make the path clear towards a brighter future.
It is worldly deception entering into the heart that leads to mediocrity. There is a need to be honest with ourselves and have the attitude of knowing where we fall short and what we need to do. The solution is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. To then absorb the excellence of the Lord. His truth begins to clear out mediocrity and set us on a superior path.
This day with You God, we know about your high standards and the only way for us to meet these standards is to accept our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You have given us the Holy Spirit, grace, and the power to help us grow each day towards these higher standards that You desire. We pray that studying Your Word today has prepared us to step ahead along the path to excellence and away from the path of deception.
A poem posted at my other blog Step Ahead is inspired by the post “Preparing For Action” about the documented record of Jesus entering Jerusalem for Holy Week. It took a lot of courage for Jesus to come into Jerusalem knowing about the sufferings he would endure over the next week before the crucifixion.
Take courage in the fight as you step ahead with boldness. Use the poem as affirmation and be inspired by the song Battle is the Lord’s by Rebecca St. James ft. Brandon Lake. You can boldly step ahead with the Lord by your side because you have confidence that everything will turn out alright.
