Passionate Endurance
"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." -Job 1:1
With suffering there is mystery. There is questioning. Many emotions are felt and expressed, however, none of it takes God by surprise. I pray after reading this post you have a new perspective on suffering and overcoming it with a passionate endurance.
The book of Job is probably the most misinterpreted, misquoted, misunderstood book of the Bible. In all actuality this is not a depressing story about a man, it is rather a story full of hope, and patient endurance. There is so much to say and study and meditate on from this man's story. Job was allowed to suffer because of his righteousness, not just because he lived in a fallen world. He was counted worthy to suffer for the Lord. Job's friends concluded that his suffering was a result of sin in his life. This viewpoint makes God look unloving and totally misrepresents the revelation and person of who God is. He allows things for our benefit, circumstances that will grow us, and trials that allow us to lay up treasure in Heaven. We will never know the why in Job's story as well as our story...not fully at least. God focuses on 2 main things when he allows things to happen: 1. Will there be faith? (Luke 18) and 2. God answers the whys of life with Who. Soul-searching begins when faced with such a story. Hard questions arise as we think deeply. This should intensify your enthusiasm for life-passion.
There are 6 lessons we can take away from Job's story:
1. We never know ahead of time the plans God has. Job did not see the conversation in Heaven between Satan and God. There was no note in the mailbox letting Job know what lay ahead. We never know what a day will bring, but God's will and plan always is unfolding. We may experience treasured blessing, or we may drop to our knees. God is on the throne regardless, be ready for anything.
2. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. Job fell to the ground and worshiped! He saw that what he had was from above and the same God who gave, can surely take away, and he saw God's sovereignty, and grace and exalted His name for it. We should maintain the same high view of God that we have on the mountain top in the valley. How quickly our song is silenced, how poor our attitude, misguided our faith becomes, and how our view of God lowers. A vertical perspective fans the flames of passion.
3. Discernment is needed to detect wrong advice from well-meaning people. Mrs. Job told Job to curse God and die, while Satan was dancing happily thinking he had Job then! Demons working to weaken him. Job is able to discern the lie and reject it! And in Job 2:10 he responds with something a lot of people miss, "We take good days from God-why not also take the bad?" God is still there in the bad, he doesn't leave once the good leaves. Passion!
4. When things turn from bad to worse, sound theology helps us remain strong and stable. Job was grounded in his knowledge of God. His feet planted on the solid rock, in sound teaching and with a faith that could move mountains. Nothing could shake him. So much so that he was still a rock for his wife when she opened her mouth. Swindoll says this, "How memorable it is when the one who is suffering can teach the one who is well."
5. Caring and sensitive friends know when to come, how to respond, and what to say. Job's friends, bless their hearts, everything was fine till they opened their mouths. Eliphaz a philosopher, Bildad and Historian/arguer, Zophar dogmatic, and Elihu a theologian and logician. They each thought in their respective way and all came to the wrong conclusion. Their theology was not so sound. An example of good friends are found in Nathan and Jonathan who were friends to David. Jonathan sought David out. He doesn't let David suffer alone. He listens, he reassures, he understands. He offers words of hope and encouragement. Nathan is used by the Lord to confront David and to help restore his integrity. He leads David back to God into true repentance.
6. The cultivation of obedient endurance is the crowning mark of maturity. This should be every Christians goal, to be healthy, that we are growing up as we are growing older. Endurance, it is a long obedience in the same direction. It's not jaw clenched, intensity. It is choosing to take the road less traveled by. The determination to pursue holiness, to pursue godliness, to pursue wisdom, and all knowledge. Oswald Chambers wrote, "To choose suffering makes no sense at all; to choose God's will in the midst of our suffering makes all the sense in the world."
Apply these lessons to your life. Don't just simply read any story, whether it be Job, or my story, or your friends story. What are they teaching you? What a blessing! Apply, and start living that kind of life. As you are faced with adversity and heartaches, don't just ask God to take it away and it be over soon, ask Him to help you endure. Look for the lessons. Experience the revelations of God. Sometimes, God isn't always trying to teach us, or call us to repentance, there are times He is just testing our faith out, and it's up to us to pass the test.
With suffering there is mystery. There is questioning. Many emotions are felt and expressed, however, none of it takes God by surprise. I pray after reading this post you have a new perspective on suffering and overcoming it with a passionate endurance.
The book of Job is probably the most misinterpreted, misquoted, misunderstood book of the Bible. In all actuality this is not a depressing story about a man, it is rather a story full of hope, and patient endurance. There is so much to say and study and meditate on from this man's story. Job was allowed to suffer because of his righteousness, not just because he lived in a fallen world. He was counted worthy to suffer for the Lord. Job's friends concluded that his suffering was a result of sin in his life. This viewpoint makes God look unloving and totally misrepresents the revelation and person of who God is. He allows things for our benefit, circumstances that will grow us, and trials that allow us to lay up treasure in Heaven. We will never know the why in Job's story as well as our story...not fully at least. God focuses on 2 main things when he allows things to happen: 1. Will there be faith? (Luke 18) and 2. God answers the whys of life with Who. Soul-searching begins when faced with such a story. Hard questions arise as we think deeply. This should intensify your enthusiasm for life-passion.
There are 6 lessons we can take away from Job's story:
1. We never know ahead of time the plans God has. Job did not see the conversation in Heaven between Satan and God. There was no note in the mailbox letting Job know what lay ahead. We never know what a day will bring, but God's will and plan always is unfolding. We may experience treasured blessing, or we may drop to our knees. God is on the throne regardless, be ready for anything.
2. A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic. Job fell to the ground and worshiped! He saw that what he had was from above and the same God who gave, can surely take away, and he saw God's sovereignty, and grace and exalted His name for it. We should maintain the same high view of God that we have on the mountain top in the valley. How quickly our song is silenced, how poor our attitude, misguided our faith becomes, and how our view of God lowers. A vertical perspective fans the flames of passion.
3. Discernment is needed to detect wrong advice from well-meaning people. Mrs. Job told Job to curse God and die, while Satan was dancing happily thinking he had Job then! Demons working to weaken him. Job is able to discern the lie and reject it! And in Job 2:10 he responds with something a lot of people miss, "We take good days from God-why not also take the bad?" God is still there in the bad, he doesn't leave once the good leaves. Passion!
4. When things turn from bad to worse, sound theology helps us remain strong and stable. Job was grounded in his knowledge of God. His feet planted on the solid rock, in sound teaching and with a faith that could move mountains. Nothing could shake him. So much so that he was still a rock for his wife when she opened her mouth. Swindoll says this, "How memorable it is when the one who is suffering can teach the one who is well."
5. Caring and sensitive friends know when to come, how to respond, and what to say. Job's friends, bless their hearts, everything was fine till they opened their mouths. Eliphaz a philosopher, Bildad and Historian/arguer, Zophar dogmatic, and Elihu a theologian and logician. They each thought in their respective way and all came to the wrong conclusion. Their theology was not so sound. An example of good friends are found in Nathan and Jonathan who were friends to David. Jonathan sought David out. He doesn't let David suffer alone. He listens, he reassures, he understands. He offers words of hope and encouragement. Nathan is used by the Lord to confront David and to help restore his integrity. He leads David back to God into true repentance.
6. The cultivation of obedient endurance is the crowning mark of maturity. This should be every Christians goal, to be healthy, that we are growing up as we are growing older. Endurance, it is a long obedience in the same direction. It's not jaw clenched, intensity. It is choosing to take the road less traveled by. The determination to pursue holiness, to pursue godliness, to pursue wisdom, and all knowledge. Oswald Chambers wrote, "To choose suffering makes no sense at all; to choose God's will in the midst of our suffering makes all the sense in the world."
Apply these lessons to your life. Don't just simply read any story, whether it be Job, or my story, or your friends story. What are they teaching you? What a blessing! Apply, and start living that kind of life. As you are faced with adversity and heartaches, don't just ask God to take it away and it be over soon, ask Him to help you endure. Look for the lessons. Experience the revelations of God. Sometimes, God isn't always trying to teach us, or call us to repentance, there are times He is just testing our faith out, and it's up to us to pass the test.
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