Monthly Archives: December 2013

Job 23-24, 2 John

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Job says of God, “he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.I have not departed from the commandment of his lips”.

Job recognises that the trials he experienced helped to develop pure gold. Job could confidently say that he remained faithful to God, even during such adversity, and that he hadn’t departed from God’s commandments.

John condenses God’s commandments into a single concept, “that we love one another. And this is love , that we walk according to his commandments”.  In addition to Job, we have a more perfect example of Christ, who demonstrated the greatest love possible, despite enduring suffering even beyond Job.  Let us aim to follow their examples, to hold fast our feet to God’s ways and demonstrate love for each other.

Zephaniah 3, 1 John 3-4

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Zephaniah 3 includes a description of future happiness, when the King of Israel is restored and when enemies have been cleared away, when Israel will be praised among all the peoples of the earth. It is a hope we share with natural Israel. But included in this description of future happiness is the idea that “The Lord is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil… The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save”.  Zephaniah emphasises the benefits and importance of God being in our midst.

Similar ideas are expressed by John. “We are God’s children now…when he appears we shall be like him”. Being God’s children requires us to practice righteousness, to “love one another, for love is from God…whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

The hope we have, the life we are to lead, both require God to be in the midst of us, pervading our character and affecting our way of life.

1 John 1-2

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John writes about the things he had heard and seen, so that his “joy may be complete”. He experienced joy as a result of sharing the hope he had, with those around him.

The message John shares includes the need to walk in the light.  “God is light”, so in order to have fellowship with Him, we must be filled with that same light, enlightened of our need to confess our sins, and seek forgiveness.

John then explains that we have an advocate through him we can be forgiven. It’s important for us to follow Jesus’ words in order for us to know him, and in order to demonstrate the love of God.  These words need to abide in us, to affect the core of our being, and to be seen in the way we treat each other with real love. So let us “walk in the same way in which [Jesus] walked”, reflecting the light of God’s character, experiencing the joy that comes from sharing our hope.

Habakkuk 3, 2 Peter 1-2

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Habakkuk’s prayer describes God’s power, wrath, mercy and salvation.  He concludes by saying “I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places“. Despite God’s fury poured out on the nations, the day of trouble, the famine, Habakkuk would continue to trust in God, and rely on God’s strength to guide him through his life.

Peter points out that God “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness“, and also has “granted to us his precious and very great promises“.  Everything we have, our hope of salvation and very life, have been given to us by God.  Our response should be to “supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.“

Job 11, Micah 7, James 3-4

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Micah is in despair, “the godly has perished from the earth…the great man utters the evil desire of his soul“. Yet in the midst of this Micah stands firm in his faith. “As for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”  No matter what difficulties of life arise, this must also be our attitude.  Our reliance on God can help us through the falls and darkness of this life.

Zophar encourages Job in much the same way. “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands towards him… you will be secure and will not fear…you will lie down, and none will make you afraid.“

So let us take the advice of James. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you… humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

 

Job 6-7, Hebrews 12

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Job despairs the situation he is in. “Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea… my eye will never again see good“.

These words form a stark contrast to Hebrews 12. “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.“

We’re all running a race. Along the way we’ve been warned to expect difficulty as Job did, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives“.  Yet we have an advantage over Job. We can see the finish line, and Christ on the other side, having already finished. Any discipline we endure is God treating us as His children. “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet… let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship.”

Hebrews 10

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Hebrews 10 describes the confidence we can have in God’s mercy, and in the certainty of our hope.

“Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works”.

The need to encourage each other is just as important as the confident assurance of our hope.  Let’s make sure that God’s laws are written on our hearts and minds, and help those around us to do the same.

Hebrews 8-9

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Hebrews 8-9 continues the description of Christ’s work and the redemption we have through him. God has made a covenant with us, saying “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”.

This new covenant is based on the work of Christ, who “appeared as a high priest… entered once for all into the holy places…by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Through the blood of Christ, our conscience can be purified from dead works to serve the living God.Christ now sits on the right hand of God, able “to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”.

This is such an incredible offer we’ve been given, and it came at such a high price. The amount of love shown by both God and Christ we can scarcely comprehend. Let us be motivated by that love to change our lives, to grow in our spirituality, and to make God a reality in our life.