There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. – Job 24:13
My friend, as brought out in “The Light Provides a Future that is Bright”, we are no longer alone. God has taken the initiative to find us in the dark and this initiative gives us a new start through the gift of His Son. This advantage provides the Light that gives confidence and optimism; a source of inspiration that enables believers to hold their head high and claim a bright future.
We get hit with so many negative thoughts on a daily basis. One idea to shield us from these negatives is to start and end the day with uplifting music. It gets our mind in the right frame of mind as we start the day or retire for the evening.
Here is a song called God of Brilliant Lights by Aaron Shust. As the song points out, God’s love is like an ocean forever overflowing. The God of brilliant lights shines during our darkest nights. Brighter than the brightest star, lighting the way from where we are now to new places high and far.
The Light provides a future that is bright and when the Son of God shines on you my friend, you want to reflect the Light and provide some sunshine into the lives of others. Today, we are reading Job 23-24. And by clicking on the link, there is the ability to read, listen, and share today’s passage by simply clicking the icons at the top of the passage.
In chapter 23, Job’s concern is that God is not listening and is not present in order to plead his case before Him. Job believes God would find him to be innocent and that he would be delivered from judgment. This is the difference between Job’s confidence and his dread. Job feels terrified because he feels alone in the darkness without any light. Without the light there is fear but with the Light, there is confidence and optimism.
My friend, this day with God, we are no longer alone. God has taken the initiative to find us in the dark and this initiative gives us a new start through the gift of His Son. This advantage provides the Light that gives confidence and optimism; a source of inspiration that enables us to hold our head high and claim a bright future.
This day with You Lord, we are thankful that you have taken the initiative and we look forward to a bright future. We have learned from the past and our experiences give us a better chance to make things better in the future. You are with us and Your presence gives confidence so we can hold our head high and claim this bright future as we step ahead one step at a time. Amen.
For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. –Proverbs 2:6
A thought obtained and explained in “The Straight and Narrow” is that we read, study, examine, listen, and reflect upon God’s Word for wisdom that brings spiritual wealth rather than tangible wealth.
We can enroll in God’s school of wisdom and apply this wisdom in our life. The book of Job is one of the text books of the course and songs like The Way by Jeremy Camp inspire us to follow Jesus who is the Way.
This day with God, we are reading Job 22 to collect thoughts and ideas to help follow the Way. Instead of going against the wind, we will harness the power of the wind; the constant, calm, and collected breeze of the Holy Spirit providing power now and into the hereafter.
Noticed in today’s passage is a change in intensity, In this third round of speeches, Eliphaz has a concept of God in which He demands His people be righteous; submitting to His ways in order to achieve peace and prosperity. Eliphaz accuses Job of pride, covetousness, and of a lack of compassion.
Remember, Job had been a wealthy man before tragedy struck; losing his children, his livestock, and his property. Then painful sores covered his body from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head (Job 3:7).
Eliphaz shares his belief that the truly successful person is the righteous person because the power of the Almighty is with them and the Light shines upon the path they walk. The Almighty becomes their treasure like silver and gold.
Although this is a beautiful passage, it doesn’t apply to Job’s situation because remember that it was Satan that caused all the devastation in Job’s life. God allowed Satan to create havoc in Job’s life to proof that Job desired spiritual wealth rather than earthly wealth. That he wanted to truly worship God rather than just go through the motions in order to have success on earth.
Eliphaz misapplies truth because of a lack of understanding about our God who is not a demanding God but one who wants us to follow out of love. We know the rest of the story; that Jesus makes us righteous. We are liberated from sin and the value of this freedom is worth more than material wealth.
We read, study, examine, listen, and reflect upon God’s Word for wisdom that brings spiritual wealth rather than tangible wealth. We do this out of our love for God and not because we are forced to do so. We let the Spirit of God ingrain His instructions upon our heart as we pray that the Spirit keeps us stepping ahead on the straight and narrow path by applying biblical principles in our life.
This day, we understand that the Law makes nothing perfect but Jesus does. Today, we put our trust in Jesus as we follow the path to the ultimate destination. The Spirit is our guide as we go along the straight and narrow. Amen.
Today’s poem posted at my other blog Step Ahead is inspired by the post “Acceptance”. Jesus offered grace so that both the Law of Moses and the intentions of God are accomplished. Things are not that different in current times as some individuals or groups reject certain thoughts, ideas, or established traditions.
Take encouragement in the song Grace Wins by Matthew West because our faith has one common thread that binds us; the power of Christ in what we believe and how we live. Individuals and groups are not perfect but there is always victory with grace. It wins all the time!
