Wednesday, 30 July 2014
"I Don't Understand It" File - Joel Osteen
Each of us should have what I call an "I Don't Understand It" file. When something comes up for which you have no reasonable answer, instead of dwelling on it and trying to figure it out, simply place it in your I Don't Understand It file.
In the meantime, you must muster enough faith to say, "God, I don't understand it, but I trust You. And I'm not going to spend all my time trying to figure out why certain things have happened. I'm going to trust You to make something good out of it. You're a good God, and I know You have my best interests at heart. You promised that all things will work together for my good."
That is faith, and that is the attitude God honors.
Saturday, 26 July 2014
About Giving - Samuel Godfrey George
When someone is trouble help. Don't wait to be
asked. Remember, it is better to give than to receive.
And when we give we are like God, for God is the greatest of givers.
Give whatever you can even if it is little. But give. Never hesitate to give even your last penny. For that is the way of the people of God.
Don't excuse yourself from giving. For there can be no excuse from that. Even a beggar can give from what he has begged from others.
Don't ignore the people who work tirelessly to spread the love of God. They make great sacrifices for the sake of others. So others must make great sacrifices for them.
If you give only to those who ask from you, how will you ever reward those who do not ask because they do not wish to trouble you with their burdens? Such people are more worthy of your giving. It is they that you must attend to first.
You cannot worship God as long as you ignore those who are in need.
You love God by loving those He created. And you cannot love anyone without giving away something of value.
Loving is giving. And giving is to part with something that the other needs, even if such giving hurts the one who gives.
Some people have made a business out of serving God. Every truth is bought and sold. Every message is attached to a request for help. Yet there are others who work for God alone and unseen. They make no requests, at least not persistent ones. They work passionately despite many hardships. Is their suffering to go on unrelieved? Will people give only to those who make overt. persistent requests? Such an outcome is lamentable. Let people reach out to those who suffer silently for God.
And when we give we are like God, for God is the greatest of givers.
Give whatever you can even if it is little. But give. Never hesitate to give even your last penny. For that is the way of the people of God.
Don't excuse yourself from giving. For there can be no excuse from that. Even a beggar can give from what he has begged from others.
Don't ignore the people who work tirelessly to spread the love of God. They make great sacrifices for the sake of others. So others must make great sacrifices for them.
If you give only to those who ask from you, how will you ever reward those who do not ask because they do not wish to trouble you with their burdens? Such people are more worthy of your giving. It is they that you must attend to first.
You cannot worship God as long as you ignore those who are in need.
You love God by loving those He created. And you cannot love anyone without giving away something of value.
Loving is giving. And giving is to part with something that the other needs, even if such giving hurts the one who gives.
Some people have made a business out of serving God. Every truth is bought and sold. Every message is attached to a request for help. Yet there are others who work for God alone and unseen. They make no requests, at least not persistent ones. They work passionately despite many hardships. Is their suffering to go on unrelieved? Will people give only to those who make overt. persistent requests? Such an outcome is lamentable. Let people reach out to those who suffer silently for God.
Praying
for someone is a great gift that one gives to another. Yet let praying
not be an excuse for not giving, for not acting desirably, for not
parting with something that the other needs. Giving in its most genuine
form must hurt. For you have not given anything until you have satisfied
another even at the cost of inconveniencing yourself.
We are told to pray, for prayer is essentially an acknowledgement of who God is and why we need Him. We pray because we need to commune with God. And we need to commune with God because we are incomplete without Him. We pray for others because we are called to intercede for others. Sometimes we pray for others because we cannot do anything else for them. But let us not just pray for others when we can do something else, which will relieve their suffering. Let us not use prayer as an excuse for not acting in a way that will inconvenience us. Such prayer cannot really please God.
.We are told to pray, for prayer is essentially an acknowledgement of who God is and why we need Him. We pray because we need to commune with God. And we need to commune with God because we are incomplete without Him. We pray for others because we are called to intercede for others. Sometimes we pray for others because we cannot do anything else for them. But let us not just pray for others when we can do something else, which will relieve their suffering. Let us not use prayer as an excuse for not acting in a way that will inconvenience us. Such prayer cannot really please God.
Even If The Bottom Falls Out - Joel Osteen Quotes
'Remember, "Faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen." Notice, faith has to do with the
unseen world. You may not be able to perceive anything positive
happening in your life with your natural eyes today. In fact, everything
may be falling apart - your finances, your health, your business, your
children. You may have all kinds of problems, and in the natural order,
it doesn't look as though anything is turning around. But don't be
discouraged. Look into the invisible world, into the supernatural world,
and through your eyes of faith, see that situation turning around. See
your joy and peace being restored.'
"You've
got to believe good things are on their way. You must believe that God
is at work in your life, that He is restoring you to your rightful
place. In other words, you've got to see those things coming to pass.
You've got to see your marriage being restored. You have to see that
wayward child coming home. You need to see that business turning around.
It has to be conceived in your heart. Look at life through your eyes of
faith into that invisible world and see your dreams coming to pass."
'The
world tells you, "You need to see it to believe it." But God says just
the opposite. Only as you believe it will you ever see it. You've got to
look out through your eyes of faith and see it. Once you see it by
faith, it can come into existence in the physical world.'
'Remember,
no weapon formed against you is going to prosper. That doesn't mean
that there will not be opposition in your life; there will be weapons
formed against you, and they may be formidable and frightening. But they
cannot ultimately hurt you. Your future is intact with God. You will
not go under, you will go through. The Scripture says, "Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them
all."'
'The best is yet to come.
You can get up each morning expecting things to turn in your favor.
Start expecting His blessings. If you believe, Jesus said, "all things
are possible." Let me challenge you to be a believer. Let faith rise in
your heart. Get into agreement with God, and He'll do more than you can
ask or think.'
'Even if the
bottom falls out of your life, your attitude should be "God, I know that
You are going to turn this around and use it for my good. God, I
believe that You're going to bring me out stronger than ever before."'
The Way We Think - John Ortberg Quotes
"That is why it so ironic that in the most important area of life
we often disregard one basic human resource with a nonchalance that is
nothing less than astounding - the mind. What we feed everything else we
possess is nothing compared with the importance of what we feed our
minds." (John Ortberg)
"Whether we are filled with confidence or fear depends on the kind of thoughts that habitually occupy our minds." (John Ortberg)
"The way you think creates your attitudes; the way you think shapes your emotions; the way you think governs your behavior; the way you think deeply influences your immune system and vulnerability to illness. Everything about you flows out of the way you think." (John Ortberg)
"Over the long haul, good thinking - accurate perceptions, healthy emotions, wholesome desires, honorable intentions - cannot produce bad results; bad thinking cannot produce good results." (John Ortberg)
"Your mind will think most about what it is most exposed to. What repeatedly enters your mind occupies your mind, eventually shapes your mind, and will ultimately express itself in what you do and who you become."
"We are flooded with sexual images on television screens, computer terminals, magazine covers, and multiplex movie marquees. Sexually explicit images and e-mails are sent not just to teenagers, but to children who have virtually no chance to protect themselves from what they do not even know they are getting into - and then we profess to be shocked when promiscuity and sexual addiction levels go up and marital fidelity and stability go down."
"If enough teenage girls look at enough magazine covers featuring enough models who are paid outrageous sums of money to make themselves unnaturally thin and then interviewed and quoted as the experts on what makes life worth living, we will raise a generation of young women whose minds are constantly filled with such thoughts. You're not thin enough, not pretty enough, not desirable enough to men. Their feelings of self-esteem will plummet. Hope will die. And the behavioral consequences will skyrocket - and it shouldn't surprise anyone."
"The events you attend, the material you read (or don't), the music you hear, the images you watch, the conversations you hold, the daydreams you entertain - all are shaping your mind and, ultimately, your character and destiny. This is supremely true when it comes to hope."
"Whether we are filled with confidence or fear depends on the kind of thoughts that habitually occupy our minds." (John Ortberg)
"The way you think creates your attitudes; the way you think shapes your emotions; the way you think governs your behavior; the way you think deeply influences your immune system and vulnerability to illness. Everything about you flows out of the way you think." (John Ortberg)
"Over the long haul, good thinking - accurate perceptions, healthy emotions, wholesome desires, honorable intentions - cannot produce bad results; bad thinking cannot produce good results." (John Ortberg)
"Your mind will think most about what it is most exposed to. What repeatedly enters your mind occupies your mind, eventually shapes your mind, and will ultimately express itself in what you do and who you become."
"We are flooded with sexual images on television screens, computer terminals, magazine covers, and multiplex movie marquees. Sexually explicit images and e-mails are sent not just to teenagers, but to children who have virtually no chance to protect themselves from what they do not even know they are getting into - and then we profess to be shocked when promiscuity and sexual addiction levels go up and marital fidelity and stability go down."
"If enough teenage girls look at enough magazine covers featuring enough models who are paid outrageous sums of money to make themselves unnaturally thin and then interviewed and quoted as the experts on what makes life worth living, we will raise a generation of young women whose minds are constantly filled with such thoughts. You're not thin enough, not pretty enough, not desirable enough to men. Their feelings of self-esteem will plummet. Hope will die. And the behavioral consequences will skyrocket - and it shouldn't surprise anyone."
"The events you attend, the material you read (or don't), the music you hear, the images you watch, the conversations you hold, the daydreams you entertain - all are shaping your mind and, ultimately, your character and destiny. This is supremely true when it comes to hope."
"If
you really want to become a certain kind of person - a hopeful person
focused on Christ - you must begin to think thoughts that will produce
those characteristics. . . . When we focus on Christ, these are the
kinds of thoughts he will inspire you to think. Therefore you must put
your mind in a place that will lead you to think hope-producing
thoughts. You need to expose your mind to those resources, books, tapes,
people, and conversations that will inline you toward confidence in
God."
Thursday, 24 July 2014
I Am About To Make An Important Decision - Psalm 26 - Psalms Now
I am about to make an important decision, Lord,
and the day before me is charged with uncertainty;
Enable me to sense Your presence,
to feel Your undergirding power,
to be assured of Your guiding concern.
I have been Your son and servant for many years.
Even in my youth I claimed Your redeeming love
and dedicated my life to Your purposes.
Until now I have shunned the world's enticements,
the human ambitions that so teasingly beckon,
to pursue Your objectives
and carry out Your commands.
I have been faithful to the hour of worship
and the time of prayer.
I have celebrated Your grace and sung Your praises.
My dearest friends are those who love and serve You.
Now, O Lord, I have come to a fork in the road.
I don't know which way to turn,
I commit this day into Your hands.
I pray that it may be lived by Your direction
and in accord with Your will.
I raise my voice in thanksgiving, O God,
for You have granted me the assurance
that You will guide my faltering steps.
Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"
and the day before me is charged with uncertainty;
Enable me to sense Your presence,
to feel Your undergirding power,
to be assured of Your guiding concern.
I have been Your son and servant for many years.
Even in my youth I claimed Your redeeming love
and dedicated my life to Your purposes.
Until now I have shunned the world's enticements,
the human ambitions that so teasingly beckon,
to pursue Your objectives
and carry out Your commands.
I have been faithful to the hour of worship
and the time of prayer.
I have celebrated Your grace and sung Your praises.
My dearest friends are those who love and serve You.
Now, O Lord, I have come to a fork in the road.
I don't know which way to turn,
I commit this day into Your hands.
I pray that it may be lived by Your direction
and in accord with Your will.
I raise my voice in thanksgiving, O God,
for You have granted me the assurance
that You will guide my faltering steps.
Leslie Brandt, "Psalms Now"
How Frail Is Man, How Few His Days, How Full Of Trouble!
“How frail is man, how few his days, how full of trouble! He blossoms for a moment like a flower—and withers; as the shadow of a passing cloud, he quickly disappears. Must
you be so harsh with frail men and demand an accounting from them? How
can you demand purity in one born impure? You have set mankind so brief a
span of life—months is all you give him! Not one bit longer may he
live. So give him a little rest, won’t you? Turn away your angry gaze
and let him have a few moments of relief before he dies.
“For there is hope for a tree—if it’s cut down, it sprouts again and grows tender, new branches. Though its roots have grown old in the earth, and its stump decays, it may sprout and bud again at the touch of water, like a new seedling. But when a man dies and is buried, where does his spirit go? As water evaporates from a lake, as a river disappears in drought, so a man lies down for the last time and does not rise again until the heavens are no more; he shall not awaken, nor be roused from his sleep. Oh, that you would hide me with the dead and forget me there until your anger ends; but mark your calendar to think of me again!
“If a man dies, shall he live again? This thought gives me hope, so that in all my anguish I eagerly await sweet death! You would call and I would come, and you would reward all I do. But now, instead, you give me so few steps upon the stage of life and notice every mistake I make. You bundle them all together as evidence against me.
“Mountains wear away and disappear. Water grinds the stones to sand. Torrents tear away the soil. So every hope of man is worn away. Always you are against him, and then he passes off the scene. You make him old and wrinkled, then send him away. He never knows it if his sons are honored; or they may fail and face disaster, but he knows it not. For him there is only sorrow and pain.”
(From Job 14, TLB)
“For there is hope for a tree—if it’s cut down, it sprouts again and grows tender, new branches. Though its roots have grown old in the earth, and its stump decays, it may sprout and bud again at the touch of water, like a new seedling. But when a man dies and is buried, where does his spirit go? As water evaporates from a lake, as a river disappears in drought, so a man lies down for the last time and does not rise again until the heavens are no more; he shall not awaken, nor be roused from his sleep. Oh, that you would hide me with the dead and forget me there until your anger ends; but mark your calendar to think of me again!
“If a man dies, shall he live again? This thought gives me hope, so that in all my anguish I eagerly await sweet death! You would call and I would come, and you would reward all I do. But now, instead, you give me so few steps upon the stage of life and notice every mistake I make. You bundle them all together as evidence against me.
“Mountains wear away and disappear. Water grinds the stones to sand. Torrents tear away the soil. So every hope of man is worn away. Always you are against him, and then he passes off the scene. You make him old and wrinkled, then send him away. He never knows it if his sons are honored; or they may fail and face disaster, but he knows it not. For him there is only sorrow and pain.”
(From Job 14, TLB)
Must You Go On Speaking For God?
“Look,
I have seen many instances such as you describe. I understand what you
are saying. I know as much as you do. I’m not stupid. Oh, how I long to
speak directly to the Almighty. I want to talk this over with God
himself. For you are misinterpreting the whole thing. You are doctors
who don’t know what they are doing. Oh, please be quiet! That would be
your highest wisdom.
“Listen to me now, to my reasons for what I think and to my pleadings.
“Must you go on ‘speaking for God’ when he never once has said the things that you are putting in his mouth? Does God want your help if you are going to twist the truth for him? Be careful that he doesn’t find out what you are doing! Or do you think you can fool God as well as men? No, you will be in serious trouble with him if you use lies to try to help him out. Doesn’t his majesty strike terror to your heart? How can you do this thing? These tremendous statements you have made have about as much value as ashes. Your defense of God is as fragile as a clay vase!
“Be silent now and leave me alone, that I may speak—and I am willing to face the consequences. Yes, I will take my life in my hand and say what I really think. God may kill me for saying this—in fact, I expect him to. Nevertheless, I am going to argue my case with him.This at least will be in my favor, that I am not godless, to be rejected instantly from his presence. Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me out.
“This is my case: I know that I am righteous. Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove me wrong, I would stop defending myself and die.
“O God, there are two things I beg you not to do to me; only then will I be able to face you. Don’t abandon me. And don’t terrify me with your awesome presence. Call to me to come—how quickly I will answer! Or let me speak to you, and you reply. Tell me, what have I done wrong? Help me! Point out my sin to me. Why do you turn away from me? Why hand me over to my enemy? Would you blame a leaf that is blown about by the wind? Will you chase dry, useless straws?
“You write bitter things against me and bring up all the follies of my youth. You send me to prison and shut me in on every side. I am like a fallen, rotten tree, like a moth-eaten coat."
- From Job 13, TLB
“Listen to me now, to my reasons for what I think and to my pleadings.
“Must you go on ‘speaking for God’ when he never once has said the things that you are putting in his mouth? Does God want your help if you are going to twist the truth for him? Be careful that he doesn’t find out what you are doing! Or do you think you can fool God as well as men? No, you will be in serious trouble with him if you use lies to try to help him out. Doesn’t his majesty strike terror to your heart? How can you do this thing? These tremendous statements you have made have about as much value as ashes. Your defense of God is as fragile as a clay vase!
“Be silent now and leave me alone, that I may speak—and I am willing to face the consequences. Yes, I will take my life in my hand and say what I really think. God may kill me for saying this—in fact, I expect him to. Nevertheless, I am going to argue my case with him.This at least will be in my favor, that I am not godless, to be rejected instantly from his presence. Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me out.
“This is my case: I know that I am righteous. Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove me wrong, I would stop defending myself and die.
“O God, there are two things I beg you not to do to me; only then will I be able to face you. Don’t abandon me. And don’t terrify me with your awesome presence. Call to me to come—how quickly I will answer! Or let me speak to you, and you reply. Tell me, what have I done wrong? Help me! Point out my sin to me. Why do you turn away from me? Why hand me over to my enemy? Would you blame a leaf that is blown about by the wind? Will you chase dry, useless straws?
“You write bitter things against me and bring up all the follies of my youth. You send me to prison and shut me in on every side. I am like a fallen, rotten tree, like a moth-eaten coat."
- From Job 13, TLB
Let Me Complain Freely - Job
“I am weary of living. Let me complain freely. I will speak in my sorrow and bitterness. I will say to God, ‘Don’t just condemn me—tell me why you are doing it. Does
it really seem right to you to oppress and despise me, a man you have
made; and to send joy and prosperity to the wicked? Are you unjust like
men? Is your life so short that you must hound me for sins you know full
well I’ve not committed? Is it because you know no one can save me from
your hand?
“‘You have made me, and yet you destroy me. Oh, please remember that I’m made of dust—will you change me back again to dust so soon? You have already poured me from bottle to bottle like milk and curdled me like cheese. You gave me skin and flesh and knit together bones and sinews. You gave me life and were so kind and loving to me, and I was preserved by your care.
“‘Yet all the time your real motive in making me was to destroy me if I sinned, and to refuse to forgive my iniquity. Just the slightest wickedness, and I am done for. And if I’m good, that doesn’t count. I am filled with frustration. If I start to get up off the ground, you leap upon me like a lion and quickly finish me off. Again and again you witness against me and pour out an ever-increasing volume of wrath upon me and bring fresh armies against me.
“‘Why then did you even let me be born? Why didn’t you let me die at birth? Then I would have been spared this miserable existence. I would have gone directly from the womb to the grave. Can’t you see how little time I have left? Oh, leave me alone that I may have a little moment of comfort before I leave for the land of darkness and the shadow of death, never to return— a land as dark as midnight, a land of the shadow of death where only confusion reigns and where the brightest light is dark as midnight.’”
- From Job 10, TLB
“‘You have made me, and yet you destroy me. Oh, please remember that I’m made of dust—will you change me back again to dust so soon? You have already poured me from bottle to bottle like milk and curdled me like cheese. You gave me skin and flesh and knit together bones and sinews. You gave me life and were so kind and loving to me, and I was preserved by your care.
“‘Yet all the time your real motive in making me was to destroy me if I sinned, and to refuse to forgive my iniquity. Just the slightest wickedness, and I am done for. And if I’m good, that doesn’t count. I am filled with frustration. If I start to get up off the ground, you leap upon me like a lion and quickly finish me off. Again and again you witness against me and pour out an ever-increasing volume of wrath upon me and bring fresh armies against me.
“‘Why then did you even let me be born? Why didn’t you let me die at birth? Then I would have been spared this miserable existence. I would have gone directly from the womb to the grave. Can’t you see how little time I have left? Oh, leave me alone that I may have a little moment of comfort before I leave for the land of darkness and the shadow of death, never to return— a land as dark as midnight, a land of the shadow of death where only confusion reigns and where the brightest light is dark as midnight.’”
- From Job 10, TLB
O God, Why Won't You Leave Me Alone? - Job
“How mankind must struggle. A man’s life is long and hard, like that of a slave. How he longs for the day to end. How he grinds on to the end of the week and his wages. And
so to me also have been allotted months of frustration, these long and
weary nights. When I go to bed I think, ‘Oh, that it were morning,’ and
then I toss till dawn.
“My skin is filled with worms and blackness. My flesh breaks open, full of pus. My life drags by—day after hopeless day. My life is but a breath, and nothing good is left. You see me now, but not for long. Soon you’ll look upon me dead. As a cloud disperses and vanishes, so those who die shall go away forever— gone forever from their family and their home—never to be seen again. Ah, let me express my anguish. Let me be free to speak out of the bitterness of my soul.
“O God, am I some monster that you never leave me alone? Even when I try to forget my misery in sleep, you terrify with nightmares. I would rather die of strangulation than go on and on like this. I hate my life. Oh, leave me alone for these few remaining days. What is mere man that you should spend your time persecuting him? Must you be his inquisitor every morning and test him every moment of the day? Why won’t you leave me alone—even long enough to spit?
“Has my sin harmed you, O God, watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your target, and made my life so heavy a burden to me? Why not just pardon my sin and take it all away? For all too soon I’ll lie down in the dust and die, and when you look for me, I shall be gone.”
- From Job 7, TLB
“My skin is filled with worms and blackness. My flesh breaks open, full of pus. My life drags by—day after hopeless day. My life is but a breath, and nothing good is left. You see me now, but not for long. Soon you’ll look upon me dead. As a cloud disperses and vanishes, so those who die shall go away forever— gone forever from their family and their home—never to be seen again. Ah, let me express my anguish. Let me be free to speak out of the bitterness of my soul.
“O God, am I some monster that you never leave me alone? Even when I try to forget my misery in sleep, you terrify with nightmares. I would rather die of strangulation than go on and on like this. I hate my life. Oh, leave me alone for these few remaining days. What is mere man that you should spend your time persecuting him? Must you be his inquisitor every morning and test him every moment of the day? Why won’t you leave me alone—even long enough to spit?
“Has my sin harmed you, O God, watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your target, and made my life so heavy a burden to me? Why not just pardon my sin and take it all away? For all too soon I’ll lie down in the dust and die, and when you look for me, I shall be gone.”
- From Job 7, TLB
The Lord Gives And The Lord Takes It Away - Job
There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job—a good man who feared God and stayed away from evil. He
had a large family of seven sons and three daughters and was immensely
wealthy,for he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500
female donkeys, and employed many servants. He was, in fact, the richest
cattleman in that entire area.
Every year when Job’s sons had birthdays, they invited their brothers and sisters to their homes for a celebration. On these occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment. When these birthday parties ended—and sometimes they lasted several days—Job would summon his children to him and sanctify them, getting up early in the morning and offering a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and turned away from God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
One day as the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan, the Accuser, came with them.
“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.
And Satan replied, “From earth, where I’ve been watching everything that’s going on.”
Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth—a good man who fears God and will have nothing to do with evil.”
“Why shouldn’t he when you pay him so well?” Satan scoffed. “You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does—look how rich he is! No wonder he ‘worships’ you! But just take away his wealth, and you’ll see him curse you to your face!”
And the Lord replied to Satan, “You may do anything you like with his wealth, but don’t harm him physically.”
So Satan went away; and sure enough, not long afterwards when Job’s sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother’s house, tragedy struck.
A messenger rushed to Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us, drove away the animals, and killed all the farmhands except me. I am the only one left.”
While this messenger was still speaking, another arrived with more bad news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the herdsmen, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Before this man finished, still another messenger rushed in: “Three bands of Chaldeans have driven off your camels and killed your servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
As he was still speaking, another arrived to say, “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and engulfed the house so that the roof fell in on them and all are dead; and I alone escaped to tell you.”
Then Job stood up and tore his robe in grief and fell down upon the ground before God. “I came naked from my mother’s womb,” he said, “and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
In all of this Job did not sin or revile God.
(From Job 1, TLB)
Every year when Job’s sons had birthdays, they invited their brothers and sisters to their homes for a celebration. On these occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment. When these birthday parties ended—and sometimes they lasted several days—Job would summon his children to him and sanctify them, getting up early in the morning and offering a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and turned away from God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
One day as the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan, the Accuser, came with them.
“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.
And Satan replied, “From earth, where I’ve been watching everything that’s going on.”
Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth—a good man who fears God and will have nothing to do with evil.”
“Why shouldn’t he when you pay him so well?” Satan scoffed. “You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does—look how rich he is! No wonder he ‘worships’ you! But just take away his wealth, and you’ll see him curse you to your face!”
And the Lord replied to Satan, “You may do anything you like with his wealth, but don’t harm him physically.”
So Satan went away; and sure enough, not long afterwards when Job’s sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother’s house, tragedy struck.
A messenger rushed to Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us, drove away the animals, and killed all the farmhands except me. I am the only one left.”
While this messenger was still speaking, another arrived with more bad news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the herdsmen, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Before this man finished, still another messenger rushed in: “Three bands of Chaldeans have driven off your camels and killed your servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
As he was still speaking, another arrived to say, “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and engulfed the house so that the roof fell in on them and all are dead; and I alone escaped to tell you.”
Then Job stood up and tore his robe in grief and fell down upon the ground before God. “I came naked from my mother’s womb,” he said, “and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
In all of this Job did not sin or revile God.
(From Job 1, TLB)
Curse God And Die - Job
Now the angelscame again to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan was with them.
“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.
“From earth, where I’ve been watching everything that’s going on,” Satan replied.
“Well, have you noticed my servant Job?” the Lord asked. “He is the finest man in all the earth—a good man who fears God and turns away from all evil. And he has kept his faith in me despite the fact that you persuaded me to let you harm him without any cause.”
“Skin for skin,” Satan replied. “A man will give anything to save his life. Touch his body with sickness, and he will curse you to your face!”
“Do with him as you please,” the Lord replied; “only spare his life.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot. Then Job took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.
His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? Curse him and die.”
But he replied, “You talk like some heathen woman. What? Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God and never anything unpleasant?” So in all this Job said nothing wrong.
When three of Job’s friends heard of all the tragedy that had befallen him, they got in touch with each other and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Job was so changed that they could scarcely recognize him. Wailing loudly in despair, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air and put earth on their heads to demonstrate their sorrow. Then they sat upon the ground with him silently for seven days and nights, no one speaking a word; for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.
From Job 2, TLB
“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.
“From earth, where I’ve been watching everything that’s going on,” Satan replied.
“Well, have you noticed my servant Job?” the Lord asked. “He is the finest man in all the earth—a good man who fears God and turns away from all evil. And he has kept his faith in me despite the fact that you persuaded me to let you harm him without any cause.”
“Skin for skin,” Satan replied. “A man will give anything to save his life. Touch his body with sickness, and he will curse you to your face!”
“Do with him as you please,” the Lord replied; “only spare his life.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with a terrible case of boils from head to foot. Then Job took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.
His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? Curse him and die.”
But he replied, “You talk like some heathen woman. What? Shall we receive only pleasant things from the hand of God and never anything unpleasant?” So in all this Job said nothing wrong.
When three of Job’s friends heard of all the tragedy that had befallen him, they got in touch with each other and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Job was so changed that they could scarcely recognize him. Wailing loudly in despair, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air and put earth on their heads to demonstrate their sorrow. Then they sat upon the ground with him silently for seven days and nights, no one speaking a word; for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.
From Job 2, TLB
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