Wed.’s Devo - Comfort One Another

Read: Job 20:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4

Zophar speaks up for the first time. After listening to everyone else’s comments he has some of his own. He starts out explaining that since the beginning of the world there have been wicked people on the earth but time has shown that their reign is short. They are here today and gone tomorrow. In the end they lose everything and die poor because they crushed the poor in their days of prosperity. 

Job speaks and says that his argument is not against man. He disagrees with Zophar and says that many times he has seen the  wicked live to be old and still be powerful and rich. They leave their inheritance to their children and die in peace. They rejected God and still got everything on earth. So what is the benefit of worshiping God when the rich and the poor, good and evil will all die one day? The benefit of fearing the Lord is that they will all be judged. Some of them are judged on earth and some are not judged until they die. 

Eliphaz answers Job and asked if a man can profit God. Does it make God happy when a man does right? Is not Job’s evil abundant? Then he accused Job of crushing the poor and the fatherless. He says that Job thinks God doesn’t see what he does in secret. 

He offers Job the solution. He must turn to God and remove the injustice from his ways, then God will forgive him and bless him. He says that Job’s pride will keep him from God, but if he is humble, God will delver him. 

They obviously did not believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

In the second letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he begins by blessing them with grace and peace. Job’s friends could stand to listen to Paul. Paul says that we are to comfort those going through trials with the same comfort we received from God when we went through our trials. Comfort was not offered to Job. 

They were all suffering for believing in Christ so their stories helped to comfort others. His hope is that their trials would not shake them from their stand for Christ, but cause them to grow stronger. 

Paul reminds them of his near-death experience in Asia which made him rely on the Lord and not on himself. God delivered him and will deliver us also when we are in our trials. Paul thanked them for their prayers because prayer is effective.

Lord, may we use the trials we go through to comfort others. Thank you for all the people who have prayed for us in our hard times. We pray that you would strengthen the whole body for the days ahead. May we find comfort in your presence.

Tues.’s Devo - Our Redeemer Lives!

Read: Job 16:1-19:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 22:1

Job called his friends miserable comforters and asks them why they have to keep on talking. He told them that if he was in their place he could have said the same thing to them and shamed them. But, all who could have witnessed on his behalf have deserted him. God has broken him down to total disgrace. It is obvious by his appearance that he is not strong and sickly. All his friends and acquaintances have abandoned him. 

In spite of all this, Job says that his witnesses are in heaven. They know he is innocent. One day he will die and not return.

In Job’s mind, his only adversary is God. He doesn’t seem to realize his real enemy and the cause of all this is not God, but Satan.  God has set Job up as his representative of a godly man before the heavenly host. Job couldn’t see that it was really an honor to be thought of so highly by God to be chosen as his champion on the earth. 

In Chapter 17, Job has his worse pity party yet. Then in Chapter 18 Bildad decides to add insult to injury and compare Job’s life to the wicked man. We get a good description of the consequences of the wicked but this is not who Job is.

Job answers and asks how much longer are they going to accuse him wrongly. He claims that God has put him in this trial and he is not coming to his rescue. He describes in detail how God has taken his life from him and given him bitterness in its place. 

But, in the end of his ranting he says that he knows that his Redeemer lives and will one day stand on the earth. When Job dies he knows he will see God.  One day everyone will face God’s judgment. 

In Corinthians, Paul directs them put something aside every week as an offering, just like he told the churches in Galatia to do. When he comes, Paul will collect their gifts and send it to the church in Jerusalem who were experiencing the worse of the famine and the persecution. They were invited to go with him to Jerusalem to present their gift. 

Paul plans to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, then come visit them in Corinth. 

Paul is sending Timothy and asks them to welcome him and honor him even though he is young. Apollos will come when he can. 

Paul encourages them to be watchful, stand firm in the faith and be strong. He tells them to let everything they do be done in love.  He recognizes the faithfulness of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus who refreshed them. 

Paul sent them greetings from Aquila and Prisca and all the brothers there. He prays that God’s grace and love would be with them.

Lord, we pray for your grace and love to be with us and in us so that others may come to know you. You are our Redeemer who has come to bring your salvation to all the earth. May your kingdom come!  

Mon.’s Devo - Job Argues On…

Read: Job 12:1-15:35; 1Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 21:30-31

Job speaks and sarcastically says, “…No doubt wisdom will die with you.” He argues that he has understanding as well as them and is not inferior to them. He stands by the fact that he is just and blameless.

The aged understand wisdom and with God is all wisdom, might counsel and understanding. He rules the earth and all nature. Job has observed nature and seen God’s wisdom displayed through the things he made. He calls his friends worthless physicians who are trying to diagnose him. He appeals to heaven to argue his case before God. (Little does he know that that is exactly what he is doing with his words.)

Job asks his friends if they could stand before God blameless. Could they withstand the argument they are giving him? They are not God and have no right to judge him. Job has prepared his case before God and feels confident he will win his case.

Eliphaz accuses Job of not fearing or worshiping God. He says Job testifies against himself and is condemned by his own words. He argues that Job doesn’t know more than them. He says that Job has turned against God and wonders how Job as a man thinks he can stand against God and win. 

Then, Eliphaz gives a description of a wicked man who dares to fight against God and what will become of him. the wicked man is deceived and concludes that his end will be destruction. He is comparing Job to the wicked man.

In Corinthians, Paul is still giving an argument of the fact that people are resurrected when they die. He brings up the fact that in their custom they baptize people on behalf of someone who has died. Why would they do that if they didn’t think there was life after death. He had had this same argument with the people of Ephesus. He told them to wake up from their drunken revelry and face the fact that they are living for eternity and what they do on earth affects how they spend eternity. 

Paul compares our body to seeds that when placed in the earth when we die, will produce a different kind of spiritual body. If we know Christ, our bodies will be raised in glory and power. Adam was a type of our earthly bodies and Jesus was a type of our spiritual resurrected bodies. Adam was formed from the dust of the earth, but Jesus came from heaven. We were born in the image of Adam, but will be raised in the image of Christ.

Paul quotes Isaiah 25:8 which says, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…”  But, God gives us victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Lord, may we always be steadfast, immoveable in our faith and always growing in the work of the Lord. We know that our work is not in vain in the Lord. 

Sun.’s Devo - Our Hope is in the Lord!

Read: Job 8:1-11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 21:28-29

Bilhad gives his opinion of why all this has happened to Job. He makes his case that God does not judge wrongly, so Job’s children must have gotten what they deserved. And, if Job is pure, as he claims, then God will restore him to his rightful place and his latter days will be greater than his first. God did restore Job’s latter days to be greater than his first.

Bilhad pleads with Job to research the past and learn that life is so short and fleeting. God will not reject a blameless man or become friends with the wicked. 

Job answers this by saying he understands that man can never be right before God. No one can stand up to God and win. God controls the whole universe and his ways are way beyond man’s understanding. He wonders how he can prove to God that he is blameless. He knows that whatever he says will be wrong. He concludes that God destroys the blameless and the wicked alike. There is no way he can get clean enough to stand before God and be accepted. There is no intercessor between man and God. 

Job concludes that he hates his life and his soul is bitter. The God who created him, now is destroying him. He is caught in a cycle with no hope. He wonders why he was born. 

Zophar adds his thoughts on the subject. He accuses Job of mocking the Lord. He claims that Job is not getting near what he deserves. Who is Job to contend with God? He claims that God knows a worthless man when he sees one. 

Zophar tells Job to search his heart and find the iniquity in there and repent. Then he can lift his face to heaven without fear. Then he will experience peace and hope.

Job’s friends look like sorry friends, but it makes me think about how we judge others when they go through bad times. We might not say it to their faces but we think some of the same things Job’s friends think. The only difference is that we have an intercessor between God and man and we can pray for our friends which is the best thing we can do for them. 

In Corinthians, Paul reminds the church in Corinth to remember the gospel that he preached to them of salvation in Christ. Jesus died, was buried and resurrected. He appeared to the apostles and then to him. It is by God’s grace that he was saved to preach to others this great Salvation. 

There must have been a discussion about the resurrection of the dead, because Paul addresses this. He explains that their whole salvation hinges on the resurrection of Christ which was a forerunner of their own resurrection. 

In Adam all died because he brought sin into the world. But in the second Adam, Jesus, all sin is defeated and all who believe in him live. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, he destroyed every evil ruler, authority and power. He will reign until all things are put under his feet. Then he will turn it all over to God. 

Lord, we are watching everything being put under your feet. We see the war against evil and the dismantling of evil structures and beliefs. May your kingdom come! 

Sat.’s Devo - Job’s First Debate

Read: Job 4:1-7:21; 1 Corinthians 14:18-40; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 21:27

Job is a reminder of how we try to help people solve their problems with only man’s knowledge. None of the characters, including  Job, knew the context of Job’s misfortune. They looked for the reason and how to solve it instead of seeking to know God and his ways. 

It is a great reminder to us when we are counseling others or going through the struggles of our own lives. We need to seek God his wisdom and ask for discernment because there are no pat answers.

Eliphaz is Job’s first “friend” to speak. He begins saying that Job has counseled so many other people and now that he needs help…  will he listen or be impatient? He asks him if he has ever heard that it was the innocent who perished and were cut off. Instead, he has witnessed that people reap what they sow. They get what they deserve. 

Eliphaz even strengthens his argument with a vision he had seen one night where a spirit came to him and asked him if mortal man could be right before God. He argues, it is not God who trusts man, and he can’t even trust his angels who sinned and rebelled. 

Eliphaz suggests that Job pray and commit his life to him. God is the only one who can help him. He only reproves those who he loves, so Job should not despise his discipline. The sign of Gods blessing is that he delivers man from famine, war, slander, destruction, the beasts of the earth and from dying off without an heir. Job might need to consider why he is not walking in this blessing.

Job replies that his calamity is more than he can take. He has lost hope and wants to die. He has nothing to offer anyone. He describes Eliphaz’s words as wind. He wants vindication because he has done nothing wrong to deserve this. He sees what has happened to him as his lot in life. He has lost all hope of anything good coming to him. He feels he has a right to complain. Then Job cries out to the Lord to leaven him alone. He asks God what he has done to deserve this. Why has God not pardoned his sin and taken his iniquity away. 

In Corinthians, after Paul has downplayed speaking in tongues in the church, he tells them in his private life he speaks much in tongues. He tells them to be mature in the thinking, but innocent of evil. God would use those who speak in tongues to speak to his people who are hard-hearted. Tongues is a sign to the unbelievers, but prophecy is a sign to the believers. If an unbeliever comes into their service and people are prophesying,  he will be convicted by their words. The secrets of his heart will be disclosed and he will repent and worship God. 

When they meet, each person should come with something to give: a song, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All things should be done to lift one another up and encourage them to continue growing in the Lord. In the church, there should be order and peace. 

To maintain order, the women were not allowed to speak, but were to talk to their husbands about anything they had questions about when they got home. 

Paul sums his sermon up with we should desire to prophesy and speak in tongues. They are both helpful if done orderly. 

Lord, give us discernment about our troubles and those of others. May we desire to prophecy and speak in tongues. May we not be afraid of your ways and your gifts, but seek you above all.

Fri.’s Devo - Job -

Read: Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26

The book of Job is set in the land of Uz which is north of the Arabian desert towards the Euphrates. Job was first of all blameless and upright, a man who feared the Lord and turned away from evil. Next, he was very prosperous and greatest of all the people of the east. 

He and his wife had seven sons and three daughters who took turns hosting parties. When their feasting was over, Job would always consecrate them just in case one of them cursed the Lord in their heart.

God called a meeting of his heavenly host and Satan was present. The Lord asked Satan where he had been and he told him he had been walking up and down on the heart and going up and down from the heavenly realm to the earthly realm. 

God asked Satan if he had noticed Job who was a god-fearing man. Satan had seen Job and said he was upright because God had put a hedge of protection around him, but if he took that away, he would curse God to his face. This was a challenge and God put his confidence in Job. 

God gave Satan permission to attack him Job not his own body. So Satan attacked everything he had. He took away his oxen and donkeys, sheep and servants, camels and then his own children. But, in all this, Job did not curse God. He said that he came into this world with nothing and it looked like he would leave with nothing. Job blessed the Lord.

At the next heavenly meeting God questioned Satan again about Job. God commented that Job had kept his integrity even when Satan incited him against him for no reason. Satan was not ready to concede. He said that it was because he didn’t let him harm his body. So God trusted Job’s faith to let Satan attack his body. 

Satan struck Job with sores all over his body that itched and oozed. His own wife told him to curse God and die. He asked her , “shall we receive good from God, and not receive evil?” He refused to sin with his words.

Job had three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar who heard of Job’s disasters and came to comfort him. Job was so changed in appearance that they tore their clothes and sat with him seven days and nights before they could say anything.

Job finally broke the silence and cursed the day he was born. He saw no point to his life and thinks it would have been better if he had not been born.

In Corinthians, Paul tells us to pursue love and spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy. Then he goes through the spiritual gifts starting with the last one which is speaking in tongues. Paul explains that tongues is for the individual to use to speak to God. It builds him up, but it does nothing for anyone else. But one who prophesies, builds up all who hear his words. Paul wants us to speak in tongues, but he is more interested in the church and what builds up the church.

Then he goes on to talk about the other gifts like a word of knowledge or prophecy or teaching. They prepare the people to battle. The other manifestations of the spirit like healing and miracles all build up the church.

If someone does speak in tongues, let there be someone who interprets so all can benefit in what God is saying. 

Lord, may we pursue love and spiritual gifts. May we use our gifts not only to build ourselves up, but to build up the church. May all we do be through your love. 

Thurs.’s Devo - The Reversal -

Read: Esther 8:1-10:3; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 21:23-24

Ahasuerus gave Esther the house of Haman and she set Mordecai over it. He gave Mordecai his signet ring when Esther told him who he was to her. 

Esther then plead with the king to save the lives of her people who were destined to be killed. He could’t reverse what had been written so he told Esther and Mordecai to write a new decree that didn’t negate the first one. So Mordecai wrote a decree saying that on the day that the Jews were to be destroyed they were allowed to rise up and defend themselves against their enemies. The edict was sent to all the provinces and read aloud in Susa. All the Jews rejoiced. 

In the months before it was decreed to take place, Mordecai became more and more powerful and the Jews became more and more feared by their neighbors. On the thirteenth day of Adar, instead of the Jews being annihilated, they rose up and defeated their enemies. Esther asked for one more day for the Jews to fight their enemies and it was granted. In those days they killed 77,000 of their enemies in the land. On the fifteenth day, they celebrated. They made the fourteen day an annual event called Purim to celebrate the day the plot against the Jews was reversed and God saved them.

Mordecai became second in command and was loved by the people because he sought the welfare and peace of the people.

In Corinthians, Paul gives the list of gifts God has given to those in the church. First is the apostle, then the prophet. Third was the teacher, then miracles, gifts of healing, administrating and tongues. Everyone should desire the gifts of God. 

Then he gave them the way they should use these gifts. The way these gifts will be the most effective is if they are done through a heart of love. Then he describes what love looks like. It is patient, kind, selfless, not judging and does’t hold grudges. It sees the best in everyone and hopes for the best. It never gives up.

All the gifts will eventually not be needed and pass away, but love will never die. Faith, hope, and love are eternal. 

Lord, may we seek to have faith, hope, and love. These are the very essence of who you are. May we become these things and use the gifts you have given us with love, hope and faith.