Are you a doubter? Do you trust God, or do you question God? The Israelites found it hard to trust God—and Moses. Even after ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, they doubted God. When God sent spies into the Promised Land, they reported it was a land flowing with milk and honey,Continue reading “Doubters and Skeptics. Numbers 14:11-12.”
Category Archives: Faith
Doubters.
Would you doubt Moses? He’s been a hero for thousands of years. But what if he were your little brother? What if he had been floating in a basket and you were the one God used to secure for him a home with the Egyptian princess? God spent 80 years preparing Moses for a uniqueContinue reading “Doubters.”
Have You Been Desperate for Rescue?
The people of Israel were desperate. Pharaoh was cracking the whip, forcing them to do hard work for long hours. Those who resisted endured the lashings—and then had to get back to work anyway. Pharaoh put cruel slave drivers in charge. The usual rule: be as cruel as you have to be, but don’t injureContinue reading “Have You Been Desperate for Rescue?”
Who is This Who Questions God?
What if God came to you and said, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” Can you imagine that? That’s what He said to Job. Job suffered greatly; everyone agrees. And he complained greatly. For 37 chapters, God listened silently to Job’s bitter complaints, most of which could be summed up as “I wish I hadContinue reading “Who is This Who Questions God?”
Courtroom Drama.
Like so many of the rich and powerful, Job seems to have spent his share of time arguing before judges. Then after his life has been all but destroyed, he repeatedly complains there is no judge to hear his case. Why not? Because it is God whom he wishes to sue. “If one wanted toContinue reading “Courtroom Drama.”
The Most Amazing Worship Experience. Job 13:15.
Have you had an amazing worship experience? Were you alone in the mountains, or at a camp or retreat? Or in a quiet cathedral? Or perhaps an arena with spotlights, smoke machines, and thrilling music performed by rocking musicians? Job lost more than most of us will ever own. In a single day he lostContinue reading “The Most Amazing Worship Experience. Job 13:15.”
Integrity Builds Courage & Wisdom.
Nothing builds COURAGE and WISDOM faster than integrity. Integrity builds courage because it requires people to do things they find frightening. Integrity builds wisdom because the good decisions it requires draw a person out of darkness and into the light. Both Job and his friends are men of integrity. (But only Job is a manContinue reading “Integrity Builds Courage & Wisdom.”
Good News! The Bible is Not All Good News. Job 5:7
Some Christians greatly dislike Ecclesiastes–preachers, included. I think they don’t understand it. Ecclesiastes is a gut-check. If you are optimistic, if every message you speak is “turn that frown upside-down,” you are missing the gut of the Bible. THE BIBLE IS FOR PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS—REAL problems, that can’t be fixed by clichés and bumper-sticker theology.Continue reading “Good News! The Bible is Not All Good News. Job 5:7”
Perfect Integrity. Job 1:1.
“There was a man in the land of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity who feared God and turned away from evil.” Job 1:1. What is meant by “perfect integrity”? Integrity means “wholeness,” so perfect integrity means being whole—there are no empty places inside you, no bricks missing in your wall. Continue reading “Perfect Integrity. Job 1:1.”
Do We Blame God When Bad Things Happen?
Job was the wealthiest man of his time, “the greatest man among all the people of the east.” He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, and thousands of other animals, servants without number, and ten grown children he adored. Then in a single moment he lost it all—including his children. Did he blame God? Here’s theContinue reading “Do We Blame God When Bad Things Happen?”
Household Words: 