Daily Reading: Job 2:7-10
Am I Job or his nameless wife? Yesterday I passed the test and remained calm in midst of chaos. It was a close call. When my husband started ranting about problems in the past I so wanted to scream. Yet God opened a door for me. My husband made a statement towards the end of the evening that "If I had to put up with all you do from me, I'd leave. You just sit there taking it all and don't say a word."
My secret is my faith in GOD. A few weeks ago I had gotten tired of my husband's relentless repetition about a matter that he couldn't stand. I snapped at him and he blew up. He didn't speak to me for almost two days. I realized that as a Christian I have to set an example for my non Christian husband. So yesterday, I calmly sat there listening to everything he was saying.
I imagine Job did the same thing when his wife told him "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" I seriously doubt she said a mere two sentences. In my experience, when we get angry we don't simply state what is bothering us. Instead, we go on relentlessly until we feel another person understands us, we convince ourself that we are justified, or we simply can not think of any other way to state our frustration.
If I had told my husband "You are talking like a foolish man. Should we accept good from God and not trouble?" He most likely would have blown up even more. I imagine that Mrs. Job could have done that. Maybe she kept ranting about Job's misery, or maybe she listened to his wisdom and took heed of what he was saying.
Either way we can not control how people around us act and react. The only person we control is ourselves. When we feel we can no longer restrain ourselves we must quickly ask God to take over. Allow GOD to put HIS protective armor around us. Amazingly the more my husbanded ranted last night, the more I silently prayed, the more uplifted I felt. I went to bed last night happy to know that my faith in God and His protective armor had allowed me to weather the storm and find a safe haven in knowing He is always there.
Additional Readings: Ephesians 6:10-18 and 1 Peter 5:8-11
Showing posts with label temptation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temptation. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Perfect or Storm
Daily Reading: JOB 1:1-22 & MATTHEW 4:1-11
You know those days where everything seems absolutely perfect. The kids left for school on time and got their chores done. Every task I set out to do was accomplished quickly and smoothly. I feel like I am walking on air and it feels great! And then it hits.....
My husband walks in the door hollering mad because someone did something. My Fson calls to tell me its going to take him an hour to get home because he wrecked his bike. He admits that instead of being where he ought he went somewhere else and is hanging with an unsavory character. My son was annoyed by another student at school and may be expelled. My best friend's car broke down. It seems that the fire of God is raining down all around.
There are two choices that I see. First I can join in and start screaming and bellering. "Woe is me! Life is ruined. I'm so picked on! What a terrible day." The second choice is to sit quietly allowing everyone else to complain and belly ache.
Like Job we can choose to accept that we have been blessed by God. The things we have in life are not our own. Even when we work hard, GOD has provided us the ability and the opportunities to grow an abundant life. We must take our blessings and return them to GOD because they are not ours, only loaned to us.
When the storm is over we can thank GOD for giving us the good day and accept that life is never going to be perfect. Only Christ is perfect. Christ was tested in the wilderness by the Devil. He stood up against the Devil and never sinned. As Christians we must try to follow Christ's example. We are not perfect and we will slip up. We just need to be aware and try harder next time to behave as Christ would.
Prayer: God, thank you for this wonderful day with its ups and downs. Thank you for all the blessings you have given us. Thank you for the storms we are given, and the opportunity to choose to weather the storm as Jesus Christ would. May your name be praised and may I never curse against you. Amen.
You know those days where everything seems absolutely perfect. The kids left for school on time and got their chores done. Every task I set out to do was accomplished quickly and smoothly. I feel like I am walking on air and it feels great! And then it hits.....
My husband walks in the door hollering mad because someone did something. My Fson calls to tell me its going to take him an hour to get home because he wrecked his bike. He admits that instead of being where he ought he went somewhere else and is hanging with an unsavory character. My son was annoyed by another student at school and may be expelled. My best friend's car broke down. It seems that the fire of God is raining down all around.
There are two choices that I see. First I can join in and start screaming and bellering. "Woe is me! Life is ruined. I'm so picked on! What a terrible day." The second choice is to sit quietly allowing everyone else to complain and belly ache.
Like Job we can choose to accept that we have been blessed by God. The things we have in life are not our own. Even when we work hard, GOD has provided us the ability and the opportunities to grow an abundant life. We must take our blessings and return them to GOD because they are not ours, only loaned to us.
When the storm is over we can thank GOD for giving us the good day and accept that life is never going to be perfect. Only Christ is perfect. Christ was tested in the wilderness by the Devil. He stood up against the Devil and never sinned. As Christians we must try to follow Christ's example. We are not perfect and we will slip up. We just need to be aware and try harder next time to behave as Christ would.
Prayer: God, thank you for this wonderful day with its ups and downs. Thank you for all the blessings you have given us. Thank you for the storms we are given, and the opportunity to choose to weather the storm as Jesus Christ would. May your name be praised and may I never curse against you. Amen.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Futile planning
Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:8-12
"The road to nowhere is paved with good intentions" is an old saying that rings true. We talk and plan about doing something great and then quickly discard the plans when something else comes along. I didn't go to church this week because I was tired from a party on Saturday night. I didn't help at the school because I had homework to do. Regardless of the excuses that come up in life we fall flat on our faces when we do not go through with the plans we have made.
It isn't a sin not to follow through with the plans we make, but GOD doesn't want us to make grand plands if we aren't going to follow through with them. It is important to plan things but it is more important that we see our plans through to the end of the road. Then we will find the glory of GOD upon us.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. (NIV)
Need More? Visit Romans 1:18-31
"The road to nowhere is paved with good intentions" is an old saying that rings true. We talk and plan about doing something great and then quickly discard the plans when something else comes along. I didn't go to church this week because I was tired from a party on Saturday night. I didn't help at the school because I had homework to do. Regardless of the excuses that come up in life we fall flat on our faces when we do not go through with the plans we have made.
It isn't a sin not to follow through with the plans we make, but GOD doesn't want us to make grand plands if we aren't going to follow through with them. It is important to plan things but it is more important that we see our plans through to the end of the road. Then we will find the glory of GOD upon us.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. (NIV)
Need More? Visit Romans 1:18-31
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Strength not always in numbers
Daily Reading: Judges 7:1-25
In the world today we constantly see commercials and advertisements for MORE. Many children's toys are designed to collect more. Fast food restraunts offer non-food items that convince you that more is better. Collect all four, collect them all, each sold seperately. Our government also demands more. More taxes, more budget for war, more, more, more.
Yet when do we say enough? We use the excuse GOD wants us to have more. He promises to bless us and we believe that this means more. Yet it is not material objects that GOD wants us to have more of. His desire is for us to have more faith in him. When we cease to recognize His power, He shows us that less is what He desires for us.
Gideon must have trusted GOD beyond belief when GOD started telling Gideon LESS. Less men, less materials, less of everything except trust in GOD. Focus on becoming MORE for GOD, LESS for worldly things. When we see that purse, those collectibles, even that new budget with more spending; we need to ask "GOD is this more what we need or just what we want?"
Need More? Visit Deuteronomy 7:17-26
In the world today we constantly see commercials and advertisements for MORE. Many children's toys are designed to collect more. Fast food restraunts offer non-food items that convince you that more is better. Collect all four, collect them all, each sold seperately. Our government also demands more. More taxes, more budget for war, more, more, more.
Yet when do we say enough? We use the excuse GOD wants us to have more. He promises to bless us and we believe that this means more. Yet it is not material objects that GOD wants us to have more of. His desire is for us to have more faith in him. When we cease to recognize His power, He shows us that less is what He desires for us.
Gideon must have trusted GOD beyond belief when GOD started telling Gideon LESS. Less men, less materials, less of everything except trust in GOD. Focus on becoming MORE for GOD, LESS for worldly things. When we see that purse, those collectibles, even that new budget with more spending; we need to ask "GOD is this more what we need or just what we want?"
Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her.
Need More? Visit Deuteronomy 7:17-26
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Don't be a Job wife
Daily Reading: Job 1-2
As I read the first two chapters of Job I realized that when Job's children and possessions were taken from him Job's wife was spared. Was this because two become one? OR Was it because satan used Job's wife to tempt Job to sin against GOD.
We don't know her name or very little about her. What we do know is his wife said "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse GOD and die!"
We do not always stand on our faith. Sometimes we become weak and believe that our ending a trial will be better for us than riding out the storms that GOD has given us. Yet when we end the trial by our own doing we take a chance of losing the lesson that GOD felt was important for us to learn. In not learning that lesson we take a chance lost the lesson that prepares us for the next storm we face.
GOD meant for us to find that one special partner in life to cling to, to become one with, to be so close to that to be separated from them is painful. Unfortunately we do not always wait for the spouse that GOD wants us to have. We do what we want and don't listen to GOD. It never works out to our benefit and we eventually regret our decisions.
Even though Job was a Godly man his wife does not seem to share that faith in GOD. Though we depend on our spouses to support us in the hardest of times we must learn to do as Job did "You are talking like a foolish (meaning:morally deficient) woman. Shall we accept good from GOD, and not trouble?"
Stand strong with your spouse in all matters. God has blessed your union and he will bless your life, even through the storms you face. The storms never seem as rough when you carry the burden together.
As I read the first two chapters of Job I realized that when Job's children and possessions were taken from him Job's wife was spared. Was this because two become one? OR Was it because satan used Job's wife to tempt Job to sin against GOD.
We don't know her name or very little about her. What we do know is his wife said "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse GOD and die!"
We do not always stand on our faith. Sometimes we become weak and believe that our ending a trial will be better for us than riding out the storms that GOD has given us. Yet when we end the trial by our own doing we take a chance of losing the lesson that GOD felt was important for us to learn. In not learning that lesson we take a chance lost the lesson that prepares us for the next storm we face.
GOD meant for us to find that one special partner in life to cling to, to become one with, to be so close to that to be separated from them is painful. Unfortunately we do not always wait for the spouse that GOD wants us to have. We do what we want and don't listen to GOD. It never works out to our benefit and we eventually regret our decisions.
Even though Job was a Godly man his wife does not seem to share that faith in GOD. Though we depend on our spouses to support us in the hardest of times we must learn to do as Job did "You are talking like a foolish (meaning:morally deficient) woman. Shall we accept good from GOD, and not trouble?"
Stand strong with your spouse in all matters. God has blessed your union and he will bless your life, even through the storms you face. The storms never seem as rough when you carry the burden together.
Daily verse: Job 2:10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from GOD, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (NIV)
Need More? Visit Ecclesiastes 9
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