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Scripture for the day: Job 1:20-22 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Thought for the day: It’s Friday the 13th, which is significant only because it fits nicely between Thursday, the 12th and Saturday the 14th. But that has nothing to do with Job, so let’s move on.
There’s nothing funny about the first chapter of Job. If you’ve never read it I suggest you begin at the beginning. Job had it all; he was wealthy, healthy, and wise. He had a family envied by everyone in the neighborhood. Ten children called him dad; they were the best any father could ask for, doing all they could to make him proud of them. They had integrity, a good work ethic and treated everyone with respect. Job could not have been more proud of his family if he tried.
Now look at the tragedy that befell poor Job. His children, all ten of them, died in the collapse of their home. His flocks of sheep, herds of camels and all his other worldly possessions were taken from him in an instant. No matter what you may have been through, nothing matches the agony Job must have felt. Yet, in the midst of it all he didn’t curse God (as his wife tried to get him to do just a bit later in our story).
The story is told of a wonderful, elderly Christian lady. She had very little money and lived in a rundown house, but she was always praising the Lord. Her only problem was with the old man who lived next door. He was always trying to prove to her that there was no God.
One day, as the old man was walking by her house, he noticed the woman through an open window. She was kneeling down in prayer, so he crept over to the window to see if he could hear. She was praying, “Lord, you’ve always given me what I’ve needed,” She prayed. “And now you know that I don’t have any money, and I’m completely out of groceries, and I won’t get another check for a week.” She continued, “Somehow, Lord, can you get me some groceries?” The man had heard all he needed. He crept away from the window and ran down to the grocery store. He bought milk, bread, and lunchmeat. Putting them in a big sack, he ran back to the woman’s house carrying the groceries. Creeping up on the porch, he set the bag down on by her door, rang the doorbell, and hid behind a nearby hedge.
You can imagine how the woman reacted at seeing the bag of groceries. She threw her hands over head and began praising the Lord. “Thank you Jesus!” she shouted. “I was without food and you provided the groceries.”
About that time the old man jumped out and said, “I’ve got you now.”
She was too busy shouting thank you to Jesus to pay any attention.
“I told you there was no God,” the old man said. “It wasn’t Jesus who gave you those groceries; it was me.”
The woman stared at the old man for a few precious seconds and then turned her eyes toward heaven once more and said, “Thank you Jesus; you provided the groceries I needed and got the devil to pay for them!”
All good gifts come from God and all we need to live our lives in an attitude of gratitude has already been provided. I wonder sometimes how much better our lives would be if we simply concentrated on how much the Lord has done for us instead of focusing on all the things we don’t have or wish we had. Some wise sage once said, “In all things, give thanks for this is God’s will for you.” Oh, wait, I think that was the Lord God speaking through his servant Paul.
Now go take on your world. - Bill