Week 12 - Like No Other
Have you caught
yourself this week following the crowd?
Has God convicted you to take a stand against popular opinion?
Job 40:1-5
(NASB)
1 Then the LORD said to Job,
2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves God answer it.”
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said,
Let him who reproves God answer it.”
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said,
4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
Have you
ever found yourself questioning God? If
anyone had a purpose or right to question God (from a human perspective), it
would have been Job. After Chapter 1 family
and possession bankruptcy and Chapter 2 health bankruptcy, Job
doesn’t deny God. He suffers through the
assaults of his friends (friendship bankruptcy), and is perplexed at why
God would allow these awful things to happen to Him. Ultimately, Job never gets the answer, though
we know that it was really all about Job’s life being a testimony to God’s
faithfulness. Satan claimed that Job
didn’t really love God, but ultimately, Job proved to be God’s friend and
follower even through hard times.
Job did
ask God “Why?”, and God spoke directly to Job. His answer more than once and in more than
one way was, “Job don’t you know Me?” I
am like no one else. I am the
Almighty. God gives very specific examples
of how much greater He is than Job. He
mentions laying the foundation of the earth, creating wild beasts, birds,
aquatic sea monsters, and dinosaur and dragon like creatures. Did Job really expect to contend with the
King of heaven?
While it’s
easy to look at the story of Job and notice how foolish Job was for questioning
God, in our lives, we do the same thing.
We fret over insignificant, temporal things while God is on the throne
of eternity. We whine and complain about
trivial discomforts, when God has redeemed our eternal souls from hell. I wonder how often God would speak these
words to us in our generation, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words
without knowledge? Now gird up your
loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me,” Job 38:3.
Week 12 Daily Readings
Monday
Monday
Read John 6:59-71. The Christian life, much like Jesus’
ministry, is not all roses and red carpets.
Jesus had some hard things to say.
Many of those who had been following Him turned away at this point. Much like a fair weather fan in sports,
you’ll find fair weather Christians – those who will claim to be followers of
Christ as long as it costs them nothing.
The critical thing for us is to realize just as Peter proclaims, ‘Where
else would we go, Lord? Only You have
the words of eternal life. There is no
one else like You.’ Are you willing to
follow Jesus even in the tough times?
Think of a situation in which you personally have or have seen someone
else follow God’s direction when many others turned away.
Tuesday
Read John 7:40-53. The Pharisees sent soldiers to take Jesus
away, but it wasn’t God’s appointed time.
Fascinating, when asked why the soldiers hadn’t followed the orders,
they responded that Jesus’ speech was unique.
‘Never has anyone spoken like this Man.’
They were intrigued by Jesus’ mannerisms. Even the Gentiles recognized that something
was different about Jesus; He was special.
There are religions out there that will falsely lead you to believe that
Jesus was just a good man, perhaps a great teacher or a prophet. Make no mistake, those who met Jesus knew
that He was anything but just another guy.
He was different. Do you
recognize Him in your life? Is He
special to you? Do you find yourself
pondering the depths of His glory and wanting to share them with others?
Wednesday
Read Luke 8:22-25. “Who then is this, that He commands
even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” When was the last time you were impressed
with God’s power? When was the last time
He amazed you with His miraculous deeds? God is always working; if we are watching and
seeking Him, we’ll have the opportunity to see and even participate in His
purposes and plans. Has Jesus calmed the
seas in your life? I like the Scott
Krippayne song which says, “Sometimes He calms the storm; with a whisper,
‘Peace be still’; He can settle any sea; but it doesn’t mean He will. Sometimes He holds us close; and lets the
wind and waves go wild. Sometimes He
calms the storm, and other times He calms His child.” He has the ability to remove all your
troubles, but perhaps He wants you to walk through them depending on Him.
Thursday
Read Hebrews 9. Earlier this week, we said that Jesus is
physically unique. Today and tomorrow,
we read how Jesus is spiritually unique.
Christ came to fulfill the Law, which taught us right and wrong, and it
provided a temporary redemption. Christ
came as the perfection of the Law, He was the eternal redemption. Just as the High Priest would have entered
the holy of holies in the temple with a blood sacrifice first for himself and
then for the nation, Jesus entered the spiritual tabernacle with no need of an
offering for Himself, He offered His own righteous blood. At His death, the veil of the temple
separating God from man was torn in two, and Jesus became our mediator to the
Father. The facsimiles are no longer
necessary. When making a purchase, you
may use a catalog to order, but once the object has arrived, you no longer need
the catalog photo; you’ve got the real thing.
You no longer need religion, Jesus is the real life.
Friday
Read Hebrews 10:1-25. The old religion is impotent. The Law was merely a 2-dimensional
representation of the true life that God desired and planned for us. Jesus is that life. Do you still find yourself trapped in a “do
this, don’t do that”, mindset? If so,
you are not living in the freedom that Christ has given you. God wants us to enjoy living in His
will. He promises that He will put His
Laws on our hearts, and write them on our minds. This is to overwrite what is already
existent. This will become our natural
guide to decision making. Live and walk
in that freedom.
