285 Monday, October 12, 2009

285 Job 1 – 2; Matthew 13.1 – 13.23

Before we get started in the book of Job I thought it would be good to be reminded of what St. Augustine once said:

“Trust the Past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.” Job was a real person who had a real story. This is not a work of fiction. We find a man who is righteous before God and who has been blessed beyond our wildest dreams. God allows Satan to take it all away, including his children! What was Job's response?


Job 1:21-22 (MSG)
21 Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed.
22 Not once through all this did Job sin; not once did he blame God.

What an amazing attitude in this man! We would all do well to try and emulate this attitude found in Job. Complaining never gets you where you need to go. We have many more chapters to go and so the story is not over. We will learn how to deal with pain and suffering and how to deal with people who come around in our down times.

Have you ever wondered why some get what the Scriptures say and others don't? Christ's disciples sure were asking questions like these. This is why we have Christ saying, in verse 12,

“Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears.”


People who get what the Scriptures are saying have a ready heart. They have a heart that is receptive to spiritual truth. Pray that your heart will continue to be receptive to God's truth. Pray this for your family, friends, and relatives as well. In case you are wondering, this receptive heart does not mean you automatically become a theologian or understand everything that is in the Bible. A ready heart means you get most of what God is wanting to do in and through your life. You are open to His Spirit and to His truth.