KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, January 11, 2018
Chapters: Job 28-31
Message: Better Than A Dream
Hello My Friend,
Dream, To think; to imagine. We all have dreams of things we want in the future. While some people do get the chance to live their dreams exactly as they see them, most of us take detours along the way, and even change them several times over the years. One thing is for certain, God plays the biggest part in our dreams coming true, after all, if He allows it than it will happen. Since life pays a big toll in our dreams it can often hinder or stop us in our tracks. While not all dreams are meant to be we do not have to give up on our dreams, with faith in God, and doing what we are physically able to do, God will much better than what we dream. “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” – I Corinthians 3:14,15.
Wisdom; human learning. We cannot know things until we first learn them, which is why we need teachers, and our first teachers ought to be our parents or guardians. As Job hears his friends and as he tries to figure out why he is going through so much pain, he wonders where wisdom even comes from.
“Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” – Job 28:1-3,12-15,23,28.
“the fear of the Lord,” This is exactly what Solomon said. Of all the treasures in the world, wisdom is by far the most precious, and the greatest wisdom of all comes as we fear God. Think about it, God designed every single thing, think about the weight of the water, how we react to the water, how our bodies can sink to the bottom, yet the heaviest ship can float on the top? Of course, we learn that we can swim and float to the top, but to truly know the properties of the water, that is only wisdom that God has. We cannot explain everything, but God does give us enough wisdom to know that when we respect and acknowledge Him we will not sink to the bottom of the water. “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.” – Proverbs 2:5-7.
How often does everything fall into place as though you are seeing your dream come true and in an instant it is gone? More often than we think. Some people are blessed to get things handed to them right away, most people have to work hard for them. I imagine Job worked very hard to get the things he had, to see it all gone must have been heartbreaking, not to mention all his friends harping on him. Discouraged and distraught, Job begins to think about all the things he had.
“Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!” – Job 29:1-7.
“as in the days when God preserved me;” I think every time I go through something that seems to linger, the first thing I do is start thinking of all the things I had. I look around and see what God really has done for me and wonder why He stopped blessing me. The truth is, God never stops blessing us, if we are saved, we are one of His forever, preserved with eternal life and nothing can change that. When God appears to be no where that is when He is preparing us from something great. Those dreams are just a prayer, a hope, a seed of faith away, all we have to do to see them is keep looking to Him by faith and not give up. “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” – I Peter 1:7.
The more afflictions we face the harder it is for us to see our dreams, which is why we perish without vision. At this point, Job feels like God has left him and basically fed him to the wolves, he wonders why He just does not take him away from it all. “Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud. And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me. My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest. By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor? When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.” – Job 30:15-19,25-26.
“then evil came unto me:” The longer I am afflicted the more I start to feel like there is no end to it, and I too wonder why God will not end it. You know, God is not being cruel when He allows bad things to happen to us, He does it to prove our faith. God knows what we can handle, and if we endure the suffering He will bless us through it. We must understand that God does not afflict us with evil, the devil does, but God will make a way for us to endure it. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” – I Corinthians 10:13.
Another thing happens the longer we are afflicted, we start wondering if we really did do something that God is angry about. Job starts to question himself, was there something he did that he was not aware of. “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high? Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps? If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom: Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door? Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.” – Job 31:1-6,33-35.
“Let me be weighed in an even balance,” Job wishes his friends would draw up the charge in writing so that he could get a fair trial. We only have one judge, God, and while we all do our fair share of things to hinder God, we really are not as bad as we make ourselves to be. With a little patience and some faith, we can see God do wonders in our lives, and perhaps even make some dreams come true. It is not about the dream, it is about holding on to our hope and trusting the one who gives us more than we ever dreamed. “And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” – I Peter 3:13-16.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword. They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.” – Job 30:9-10.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for the life that You have given me and the path You have chosen for me. I do not always understand the steps You have me take, but I do understand that You are with me in all of them. I know that I mess up and make some wrong decisions because I just don’t understand or are too impatient to wait for You to answer me. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me the strength I need to endure the struggles You allow in my life, let me not look to the right or left, but straight toward You. I know that as long as I do that You will always give me more than I ever dreamed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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