Who to Trust

 

Psalm 123           Job 1-2                 1 Peter 1

Today I started with Psalm 123 the reminded me to lift up my eyes to the one enthroned in the heavens. While we have earthly masters, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and no matter how much contempt we experience as a servant of the Lord our soul will be greatly filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

 I decided to begin to look at Job today and as I read the first two chapters the first thing I noticed was that Job at some point in his life had decided that following God was the correct path in life. I found it interesting that while he feared God and turn away from evil, that opposed to God, there was still the need to offer up sacrifice and an offering for he or his children may have cursed God in their hearts.

 Living a God-fearing life had led to blessings both in his relationship with God and others as well as material blessings. These two chapters are a reminder that Satan believes our faith is so shallow that we will only praise God when our lives are filled with earthly blessings and that we will abandon our faith when confronted with loss.

 First, his most important earthly possessions and relationships are taken from him. Job’s response is that he brought nothing into the world and one day he would leave with the same possessions while believing that his relationship with God would remain intact and was worthy of praise.

 Then, his own health is taken and the attacks on his faith begin with his closest earthly relationship that quickly spread to the others close to him. The foundation is laid for a true test of faith.

In reading 1 Peter 1 I am reminded that I like all that take on the name Christian made a decision to be born anew, to turn away from the things in life that were displeasing to God and then to learn to live life as God called me to live. Since the day I made that decision almost half a century ago I have had to struggle with knowing what it means to be what God calls us to be and making sure I am following the Spirit’s leading. In that struggle I have learned to be confident in my salvation, the security of my soul, because of my faith in Jesus as the one that takes on not only my sin but the sins of the world.

 Out call is to share the Word of God, that transforms lives, and to trust God to do the work in others. Just as I am born again, I believe that the Word of the Lord will endure forever and offer me that place in eternity. My hope is to offer that hope to all that have ears to hear. Blessed it be the name of the Lord.