Fri.’s Devo - Living For Eternity

Read: Job 23:1-27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6 Job is a long book of complaints and arguments. Today, Job wishes he could physically go to God’s courts and present his case. What a blessing to know that we can do just that because Jesus made a way for us. Job wants to hear what God would say about his case. He knows that God would hear him and be fair and just. Job does understand that at the end of this test, he will come out as gold because he has stayed on God’s paths. God controls his destiny. Job asks why God doesn’t bring the wicked to judgment. They are the ones who steal land and others livestock. They have no pity for the orphan, the widow or the poor. The wicked rebel against the light. The murderer and the thief do their deeds in darkness and ally themselves with the terrors of the night. But they are afraid in the light. The deeds they do in darkness are not hidden from God. He sees them all. Bildad speaks up and proclaims God’s power and dread. He sees God with his heavenly army waiting to pounce on people who are like maggots and worms to them. Job speaks up and sarcastically rebukes him for lifting up his soul with hope since Bildad offered no hope at all. Instead, Job proclaims God’s majesty over the earth. There is hope for the righteous and he is one of them. The wicked may do many evil things on the earth but their wealth is stored up for the righteous and the righteous will inherit it one day. Even Paul says that we can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and have been sincere in our dealings. Job was looking forward into Paul’s day when because of Jesus, we can be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. In this second letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains why he didn’t come. He knows they are not ready to see him because he would have to rebuke them if he did. He wants to wait and give them time to repent and clean up their mess so they can be proud of who they are when he comes. In the church at Corinth, there was a group that opposed Paul and the leader was especially obnoxious to him. Paul had gone to Corinth to see about the situation but was met with hostility from the leader. Paul had returned to Ephesus and written this letter. The people had sided with Paul but now he was encouraging them to forgive and comfort this person. He didn’t want the man to be overcome with discouragment. I can’t help but think this is the way God feels about us. God is so long-suffering and he will give people a long time to repent before he brings justice. I read about people who are in their seventies before they are brought to court for something they did in their thirties and wonder why they got to live their lives so long before justice was served but it is because God is merciful. He gives us a long time to think about eternity and how we want to spend it. Lord, help us to live for eternity because how we live our lives matters.