Tues.’s Devo - From Death to Life

Read: Job 31:1-33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 22:8-9 Job is still proclaiming his innocence explaining that he made a covenant with his eyes to not lust after women. He has not lied or deceived anyone. He has not been unfair to his servants but listened to any complaints they had. He helped the homeless and the widow and hasn’t put his trust in his riches. He has never cursed anyone or asked for revenge. Neither has he stolen from another man’s fields. Job ends his defense. *** His friends have nothing else to say either. They are resolved that Job is never going to hear them or admit his guilt. A younger man named Elihud has been listening to all their conversations and realizes that the three friends have given up. He is angry that they couldn’t knock any sense into Job so he decides to throw his two cents into the argument. Surprisingly, God doesn’t rebuke him in the end when he rebukes the three. *** Elihu accuses the three of not answering Job’s arguments. He is about to bust with his great wisdom so he spews it out. His argument is that God does speak to man but maybe he’s not listening. He talks about how God speaks in dreams. Sometimes God disciples through pain and suffering and right before they are at death’s door, if God wants, he can send an angle to heal him and restore his health to him. Then his prayers will be answered and he will rejoice. He will spent and admit to his friends that he sinned and twisted the truth but now that God saved him, I understands his sin. *** Elihu tells Job that he is as anxious as Job is to see him justified. Actually, this is about what happened to Job in the end. God did step in and heal him and he did see the error of his thinking and God did restore everything to him. *** Paul was dealing with the teachers of the law who opposed his teaching. They came with many letters of recommendation from the other churches and left Corinthians with their letters of recommendation. They tried to make it a law that you had to have these letters to be able to teach in the churches. Paul didn’t have them so he was explaining that their testimonies were his letter of recommendation. They were his proof that his ministry was valid and powerfully effective. *** These people who opposed Paul wanted to put the people back under the law where Paul wanted to set them free to walk in God’s glory and freedom. This is the same argument we face in our own churches. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We can and are equipped to do the same things that Jesus did, not because of our self-righteousness but because of what Christ did for us. He took our sins away: past, present and future. We are to be very bold and not afraid or intimidated. The law put a veil over their eyes, but through Christ that veil can be removed. The law brought bondage and death but the Spirit brings freedom and life. *** Lord help us to see and experience the power of the Spirit of Christ. May we walk in boldness and authority.