Job 34:10-12 – LIFE UNLIMITED AT CHRISTMAS

Job 34:10-12 – LIFE UNLIMITED AT CHRISTMAS

UNLIMITED!

No arms. No legs. No limits. Born without limbs, Nick Vujicic is an Australian man who travels the world with a message that declares “that the most important goal for anyone is to find their life’s purpose despite whatever difficulties or seemingly impossible odds stand in their way.” He proves it with his unbelievable zest for life and by achieving ridiculously impossible things from skateboarding, surfing, playing music, hitting a golf ball. LIFE UNLIMITED. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4uG2kSdd-4

Nick says “When you give up on your dreams, you put God in a box. After all , you are His creation. He made you for a purpose. Therefore your life cannot be limited any more than God’s love can be contained.” (Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic).

That’s the key! The only way to get a handle on the UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES of life is to see the absolutely LIMITLESS CHARACTER of the God I serve. In Job 34 Elihu begins to paint a picture of our unlimited God …

1. HE CAN DO NO WRONG

Elihu – “Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin” (Job 34:10 NLT). Not only that but Habakkuk 1:13 (NLT) declares of God “You are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.”

If He is so pure and sinless, then why does God allow evil in the world? Why does He allow people to die of starvation? If He is not responsible, who is? If God is sinless, then I have to ask “What would my life look like if I stopped ACCUSING GOD of all sorts of things that He hasn’t done? What would it look like if I saw MY part, ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY for the wrongs of the world and with God’s help, doing something about it. Instead of saying “Why has God allowed this terrible thing to happen?” as if God is a genie in a bottle who needs to do things MY WAY, I will see that “We have ‘reaped what we sowed!’ and I need God’s help in sowing an entirely different crop.”

The possibilities for change are only as big as who or what I choose to serve in life. Self service limited my potential down to the lowest common denominator. I am created to serve the UNLIMITED, all powerful, sovereign Lord of the universe and see His purposes accomplished through me.

The Bible is clear that SIN is the key blocking agent to me having a relationship with God. Romans 6:23 says that the consequence of sin is DEATH (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus who knew no sin died on my behalf and paid what I owed for my sin (Romans 3:23-24). UNLIMITED LOVE unshackles my life. I am no longer limited by the havoc of my sin. Forgiveness means that I can make an UNLIMITED DIFFERENCE.

2. HE GIVES ME EVERY OPPORTUNITY

Elihu says that God “repays people according to their deeds. He treats people as they deserve” (Job 34:11 NLT). If this were true I wouldn’t be here. He would have snuffed my life out at birth rather than wait around until I proved how much I could mess things up.

God does NOT treat us as we deserve. He treats us with GRACE. He gives me EVERY OPPORTUNITY to include Him into the equation of my life. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) says the Lord is patient for our sake, “… He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” He loves me enough to save me from reaping what I deserve. He is the only One who can.

I can reap the UNLIMITED BENEFITS of what God has sown into the world when He sent His only Son on that very first Christmas Day. It was on Christmas day, many years ago, that I gave my life to Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) says to those who are followers of Christ “God saved you by His grace when you believed…” Grace is UNDESERVED FAVOUR. A total GIFT. Something I can’t work for, earn or deserve in any way. UNLIMITED love that frees my capacity to love others (1 John 4:19) and live life to the full (John 10:10).

As Nick Vujicic says – MY “LIFE CANNOT BE LIMITED ANY MORE THAN GOD’S LOVE CAN BE CONTAINED.” I can achieve that which is ridiculously impossible (Philippians 4:13).

I was out of breath and couldn’t keep up. Running in the park with my 5 year old grandson is a challenge. Just as I was about to stop he turned around and yelled with excitement, “Come on Pa! You’ve got your whole life ahead of you!” LIFE UNLIMITED.

Pastor Ross

PS If this post has helped you apply the lifechanging truths of the Bible, you are invited to subscribe by clicking the follow button, to make comments and to shared these thoughts with your friends. It would be a privilege to share these conversations with people like you and others all around the world.

Job 34:1-8 – PERSPECTIVES ON CHAOS

Job 34:1-8 – PERSPECTIVES ON CHAOS

Perspectives on Chaos

Nine elderly people die as a result of the fire at a nursing home in Quakers Hill, Sydney on Friday. Four of our Chaplains are deployed. Shock seared, soot stained survivors stare from stretchers as ambulance personnel tend to them. Many more lie in intensive care fighting for their lives. Wide eyed, frightened, wrinkled faces search for reassurance.

Job sits in the ashes of despair. He understands such tragedy. He lost ten of his children in one day. He lost his career, his wealth, health and support of his wife and friends. While He is suffering excruciating pain from a terminal disease, his friends badger him, saying that God is punishing him because he has sinned.

Fridges, washing machines, large bookcases and a host of heavy objects later, we are here. The hired truck must be returned today and my bones are weary. Ben and Mike are heroes. This is our twenty first place of residence. 4.15 am and I sit at the dining room table. Study is filled with boxes of books waiting for release.

At present I perceive my world according to my pain among the chaos of the boxes, but that’s a limited perception of the multiple layers of my life. What you see, hear, taste, touch and smell describes only this moment and even then not adequately. So too with Job.

Insistent demands from Elihu break the silence of my morning as I explore Job 34. What do I need today that would give me heaven’s perspective on earths dilemmas?…

WISDOM

Elihu – “Listen to me, you wise men. Pay attention, you who have knowledge.” (Job 34:1-2 NLT) Is this sarcasm? He calls them wise but I get the distinct impression that he thinks he is the only wise person on hand. “Listen to me! Listen to me!” Lord give me wisdom tempered with a little humility.

DISCERNMENT

“What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water?” (Job 34:7 NIV). Elihu speaks of Job drinking up scorn like a camel drinks water. Camels can store a large amount of water for a journey and Elihu says that Job is bottling up irreverence, arrogance, rebellion. Is this PROJECTION? Elihu likes to quote Job but anger and conceit make unsubstantiated JUDGMENTS and interpret Job’s honesty as irreverence. He accuses Job of keeping company with evil people (Job 34:7-8). Notice that the only company around at the time are the four of them who seem determined to make wild accusations, lacking real discernment? Who’s calling who a camel drinking up scorn!

Job says, “The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.” (Job 34:3 NLT). Discernment is like the senses, but it is different. Discernment helps me perceive that which cannot be seen, felt, heard … I can hear words but fail to test their meaning. I can see a man covered in boils but my senses will not help me discern the unseen world of his predicament. Lord give me discernment unshackled from baseless judgment.

TEACHABILITY.

“So let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us LEARN TOGETHER what is good.” (Job 34:4 NLT). Ever met someone who says he wants to learn TOGETHER and then hogs the conversation. That’s Elihu.

Battery has 8 minutes left. Mad rush to find lead to plug into wall. Learn from others. Be more inclusive, recharge my battery by learning from others who can SPEAK INTO MY LIFE without the encumbrance of my DEFENSIVENESS.

The invitation is to see things from heaven’s perspective, to remain open to that which is beyond my senses and ask for God to intervene into my circumstances with heaven’s wisdom, heaven’s discernment, heaven’s resources to meet the challenges of the day.  

Pastor Ross

Job 33:22-33 – GROUNDED!

Job 33:22-33 – GROUNDED!

Grounded!

“The airline will be grounded as long as it takes to get a resolution on this.” With these words Mr Joyce (CEO) locked out all workers in dispute with QANTAS and grounded all domestic and international flights. Tens of thousands of passengers worldwide were standed.

The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard then moved to intervene in the dispute. She did this by going to Fair Work Australia, Australia’s workplace regulator. They stepped in as requested and forced Qantas and the unions to cease all industrial action and find mediation to resolve their dispute within 21 days before being ordered into formal arbitration.

In Job 33 another Job is at stake. Elihu speaks directly to the man called Job. He speaks about a MEDIATOR to resolve Job’s apparent dispute with God in a fair way. The Mediator would have to have the authority of a celestial arbitration tribunal and the objectivity of justice itself. He would enforce the rules with impartiality and integrity. He would give instructions for the best outcome.

It seems to Elihu that Job is on STRIKE. Emotions have been vented but Job has not admitted that he is in the wrong. Job will not budge and things remain unresolved. According to Elihu, Job is suffering the consequences of his conduct, and things will only get worse. For him the issues are clear. The objectives are plain. The options have already been analysed, discussed, and refined. Now it’s time to act. Job has to admit that he is in the wrong before the mediator can bring healing to the situation.

I am beginning to like Elihu as he pictures how all of us need a mediator. He’s wrong about Job but it occurs to me that so much of what he says relates to Christ as our mediator. Listen to what he says and you’ll see what I mean. He says…

1. FIND THE RIGHT MEDIATOR. Elihu says Job 33:23 (NLT) “But if an angel from heaven appears— a special messenger (MEDIATOR) to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright … (Job 33:23-24 NLT). 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NLT) says “For there is only one God and one MEDIATOR who can RECONCILE God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”

2. BE WILLING TO BE CORRECTED. Elihu says that this mediator is One who gives instructions about how to live as God intends, and corrects people when they get out of line (Job 33:23). Does God CORRECT followers of Christ? Yes! Hebrews 12:5-6 (NLT) says “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when He CORRECTS you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.” Is God correcting Job? No! The principle is correct but Elihu is applying it to the wrong person. Just because someone is sick does not mean God is correcting, disciplining and punishing them.

3. A MEDIATOR ASKS ON OUR BEHALF. Elihu says that this mediating messenger will INTERCEDE for (mediate, plead, intervene, negotiate, ask on behalf of) the person and declare him to be right (Job 33:23-33). Romans 8:26-34 (NASB) echoes exactly this thought when it says the Holy Spirit and Christ INTERCEDE for us “the Spirit Himself INTERCEDES … for the saints according to the will of God”… “Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also INTERCEDES for us.”

4. A MEDIATOR FINDS A WAY TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT. As a result of this intercession before God the Father, I am declared UPRIGHT exactly as Elihu says (Job 33:23). 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) says “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made RIGHT with God through Christ.”

5. A MEDIATOR GOES THE EXTRA MILE. Elihu says that this mediator will offer us GRACE; UNDESERVED FAVOUR (Job 33:24). Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) says “God saved you by His GRACE when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a GIFT from God. Salvation is NOT A REWARD for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

6. A MEDIATOR PROVIDES A RESCUE PLAN. Elihu says that the mediator will “RESCUE him from the grave” (Job 33:24). Colossians 1:13 (NLT) says that the Father “… has RESCUED us (those who have trusted in Christ and what He has done for them on the Cross) from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son…”

7. A MEDIATOR IS WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE TO FIND THE WAY AHEAD. Elihu says the mediator finds a “RANSOM for his life” (Job 33:24).’ Once again the Bible says that Christ provided Himself as my RANSOM. Matthew 20:28 (NLT) “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a RANSOM for many.”

8. A MEDIATOR BRINGS ABOUT RESTORATION. Elihu speaks of restoration and healing when we respond to this mediator. Job 33:25 (NLT) says “Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s, firm and youthful again.” Isaiah 53:3-5 (NLT) gives a prophecy about Christ and says “… He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be HEALED.” He is the great physician, who heals me physically, emotionally and spiritually.

9. A MEDIATOR BRINGS BOTH PARTIES TOGETHER. Elihu says in Job 33:26 that when someone responds to the mediator and prays they will be ACCEPTED by God. He says “When he prays to God, he will be ACCEPTED. And God will RECEIVE him with joy and RESTORE him to good standing.” Romans 15:7 (NLT) echoes this acceptance by God of those who follow Christ. “Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has ACCEPTED you so that God will be given glory.” Ephesians 3:12 (NLT) says “Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”

10. A MEDIATOR HELPS US SEE OURSELVES CLEARLY. In Job 33:27 Elihu says that when a person responds to this mediator “He will declare to his friends, ‘I SINNED and twisted the truth, but it was not worth it.”

In 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT) Paul says ““Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime EXAMPLE of his great patience with even the worst SINNERS. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life.” Romans 5:8 (NLT) says “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still SINNERS.”

11. A MEDIATOR GIVES LIGHT FOR THE WAY AHEAD. Elihu says in Job 33:28 NLT that after responding to the mediator, we can say “God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with LIGHT.’ … so they may enjoy the LIGHT OF LIFE.” In John 8:12 (NLT) Jesus made it clear when He says “I am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the LIGHT that leads to life.” Ephesians 5:8-11 spells out what it means to follow Christ as the Light “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have LIGHT from the Lord. So live as PEOPLE OF LIGHT! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.”

12. A MEDIATOR DESIRES A JUST RESOLUTION. In Job 33:31 Elihu says to Job “… I am anxious to see you JUSTIFIED.” Romans 3:23-24 (NIV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are JUSTIFIED freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 5:1 (NIV) says “Therefore, since we have been JUSTIFIED through faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

This speech of Elihu foreshadows Christ. It has amazing parallels. He says in effect to Job, “God is seeking to warn and correct you. He wants to save you from eternal death and destruction. In order to do that He has sent you a mediator who pays a ransom for you (Christ offered Himself as a ransom). This ransom pays the price for your deliverance and restoration. Then, after you are restored you will tell others how you have been saved by grace.”

Psalms 56:13 (NLT) expresses beautifully what transpired when I believed in Christ as my Mediator. “For You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light.” What about you? Are you on strike and grounded? Has the dispute you have with God been resolved? The promise God is making you today is “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved….” (Acts 16:31 NLT). Your life was meant to soar. QANTAS – Q Questions to God A Answers in Christ N Needing a Mediator T Trusting in Christ A Accepting Him into your life S Strike over.

Pastor Ross

Job 33:8-22 – “WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?”

Job 33:8-22 – “WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?”

I spoke to Ruth (not her real name) yesterday. She is 96 years old. She said she has lost everyone. She has outlived all her family and friends and she is alone in a world which she no longer understands and which doesn’t understand her generation.

“Why is God allowing this to happen to me?” This is the question Job asks in the midst of tragic circumstances. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose your children, your career, your health, the support of your wife, all in rapid succession. He clung to the Lord but, like Ruth, cannot make sense of his circumstances. Ever felt so entirely devastated by your circumstances that you are at a loss to understand why? I’ve been there, but certainly not to the same extent as Ruth or Job.

I spoke to Gerard (not his real name) the other day. Gerard has such a faint voice that I can barely hear Him. As Elihu looks at Job sitting in the ashes desperately trying to find relief from his pain he thinks that’s the answer. According to Elihu, we can’t say that God doesn’t speak to us. He speaks through a dream, a vision, a whisper, a warning. He says in effect that God is trying to say something, but we don’t always recognise what He is saying. Nothing wrong with this so far, except that it makes God out to be socially inept, as if He can’t adequately express what He wants to say because His voice is too soft or because He stutters or doesn’t speak our language. We don’t understand and all we can say is, “HUH?”

Elihu says God can choose whatever way He desires to speak to us, including PAIN AND SICKNESS. But does God speak to people with sickness and excruciating pain in order to get His point across? Elihu says “… God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds, with ceaseless aching in their bones. They lose their appetite for even the most delicious food. Their flesh wastes away, and their bones stick out. They are at death’s door; the angels of death wait for them.” (Job 33:19-22 NLT).

Pain, sickness, lack of appetite, weight loss, hovering on edge of death. He’s obviously referring to Job. But is this how God tries to get through to us? I’ve heard this view of God before. Harsh, cruel, vindictive, punishing, the torturer who forces His way upon people. Strange. I don’t see Him that way.

A few days ago I had the symptoms of a common cold. What prohibited God from HEALING me? Why do I get sick? Why do great men of God in the Bible like Job get sick? Is healing for today? Does healing depend on my confession of known sin? Is sickness a punishment or disciplinary action for sin and failure? Does God cause sickness or does He simply allow Satan to cause sickness or is sickness due to some other cause? These questions are all inherent in the argument of Elihu and in the book of Job so far.

For a follower of Christ, the only way to gain some perspective on these questions is to go back to the BEGINNING of the Bible. Some simple yet profound statements are made that provide keys to understanding the world we live in. God said to the original man and woman “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:16-17 NLT). They chose to DISOBEY God. When SIN entered into the world it permeated everything with DEATH. SICKNESS is a symptom of living in a world which bears the CONSEQUENCE of Adam’s original sin, death.

But God turns cursing to blessing. Ask Jane (not her real name). She spoke to me yesterday of how she was so overwhelmed by the invitation that courses through the veins of the Biblical narrative. She was completely taken by surprise by that she could experience the FORGIVENESS of God through what Jesus did on the cross for her when He paid the ultimate price, death, on her behalf. She was surprised by joy and the purpose she found when she gave her life to Christ.

Though I still wrestle with sin, and I still get sick, and I still continue to live in a sin effected world, yet I am forgiven, I can pray for healing and I can make a difference as I help others come to live the life God intended for them. I may not fully understand everything about sin and sickness or why things happen to me, but I do know that I can trust in God who has all the answers I need, and that He loves me, and I can live the life for which I was created.

Pastor Ross

PS If this post has helped you apply the lifechanging truths of the Bible, you are invited to subscribe by clicking the follow button, to make comments and to shared these thoughts with your friends. It would be a privilege to share these conversations with people like you and others all around the world.

Job 33:1-12 – BEYOND ACTIVE LISTENING

Job 33:1-12 – BEYOND ACTIVE LISTENING

Active Listening

It’s always the way! You are enjoying the serenity. Time to reflect. A little peace away from the demanding voices of the world. Just as you breathe a sigh of relief, someone intrudes upon the silence. They misunderstand the quiet space for an opportunity to speak. As if it is there just for them!

He sits in the dust and bears the pain of his extreme medical nightmare in SILENCE. One tiny piece of relief for Job. But no! That’s when ELIHU explodes into the silent lull like the cracking of a whip, or as he puts it “a wineskin that has swollen to the point of bursting” (Job 32:19). Oh, please, give Job a break!

Elihu doesn’t leave you with a good first impression. He lets everyone know how intelligent, inspired, and unbiased he is. Humility isn’t his strong point (Job 32). He believes that all men are created equal (Job 33:4-6). but some are more right than others. He says “I speak the truth” (Job 33:3)

On the surface he appears to know what ACTIVE LISTENING is all about. He repeats back to Job in a reflective listening style what Job has said in summary. He says “You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin; I am innocent; I have no guilt. God is picking a quarrel with me, and He considers me His enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks and watches my every move’” (Job 33:9-11 NLT). That basically sums it up. He appears to have heard well, but there are a few flaws in his listening skills.

Ever met someone who tells you what you have SAID and refuses to let you tell them what you MEANT? “But you said you were sinless!” That’s not what Job meant. Job said in effect “I haven’t done anything deliberately wrong!” Innocent, not sinless. Big difference!

Romans 3:23 (NLT) makes it quite clear that “… everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Job is quite willing for God to tell him what he has done wrong. He prays, Job 13:23 (NLT) “Tell me, what have I done wrong? Show me my rebellion and my sin.” Remember that right from the start God says of Job that “He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil” (Job 1:8 NLT). Now that’s the kind of life I want to live (preferably without the open sores and pain).

It is obvious that Elihu has his own agenda because after his attempt at active listening he launches his attack. He says “But you are wrong, and I will show you why …” (Job 33:12 NLT). I thought the point of active listening is to verify that you have heard right, not try to hit them between the eyes with what you think is wrong!

When I listen to others I so often bring my own agenda, biases, judgments, assumptions, and false beliefs to the table and miss the whole point of what is said. This can distort the truth. It seems to me that the true art of active listening, as a follower of Christ, is also to listen for what God has said and is saying in that person’s life. Rather than bursting at the seams to look for a weak link in someone elses argument, I will pray for help and read God’s Word, carefully making sure that I have understood what is being said and compassionately seek to bring God’s perspective and hope to the table. God’s Word says “… we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, …” (Ephesians 4:15 NLT). That last bit holds the key.

In the midst of the agonising thought of going to the cross Jesus said “I want Your will to be done, not Mine” (Matthew 26:39 NLT). He lived His life actively listening to God the Father in the power of the Spirit.

Perhaps the question is not whether or not I am right or that you are wrong. The question is what would it look like to live in dependence upon Christ, and respond to His Word? Big risk! It might mean admitting that my agendas are seriously flawed. It might mean that no matter how skilled I am at listening to what others are saying, beyond that I will need heavens wisdom (James 1:5). It might mean that I stop judging others long enough to let God speak. Actively listening to God.

Pastor Ross

PS If this post has helped you apply the lifechanging truths of the Bible, you are invited to subscribe by clicking the follow button on my webpage. It would be a privilege to share these conversations with people like you and others all around the world.