KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, June 02, 2016
Chapters: Job 24-28
Message: I Am Not A Stereotype
Hello My Friend,
Stereotype, a widely held, but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. The world loves to place stereotypes on people, the psychologists love to group people into what they believe them to be by race, education, lifestyles, and even gender. For instance, a person who is overweight is automatically stereotyped as someone who is not healthy and pigs out all day. Maybe some do, but that is a false stereotype because many thin people eat more than overweight people do. The truth is, there are people of all races, creeds, and lifestyles, we are all one race, are guilty of something, and all bound for the same place. It is time to stop placing stereotypes on people and start telling people there is a real hell. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” – I Corinthians 6:9-11.
To be honest, the world is not the only one who stereotypes people, Christians do too. We must admit that we have done it ourselves, and more often than we realize. You see a person with purple streaks in their hair, a rich person, a poor person, a jobless person, a persons ethnicity, an adult living with parents, whatever it may be, and automatically made assumptions based on what you saw. This is what Job’s friends were doing to him because he was not admitting to something he did not do. Job continues explaining the prosperity of the wicked. “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days? Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof. They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together. They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?” – Job 24:1-4,24,25.
“Some remove the landmarks;” There is a big problem in society today, the world has continuously removed the landmarks that separated the Christian from man, and the Christians let them because they did not want to be stereotyped. Oh, there are thousands of churches all over the place, but is God in them? No. Instead of hearing the truth, they want the feel good about themselves messages that omit their punishment for sin. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” – II Timothy 4:3,4.
Bildad answers Job, quite perturbed by what he just said. “Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” – Job 25:1-4.
“How then can man be justified with God?” Bildad stereotyped Job as one of the unbelievers, those who have no interest in God whatsoever. Bildad is correct, man cannot be justified with God, that is, if we are depending on our own works to save us. It is a false stereotype that salvation has been about works before Christ came. Yes, they followed the law of Moses, but that is not what saved them, if that really were the case, people like king Saul and even Solomon would be in hell because they both fell away from God and some point. Salvation has always been about one thing, atonement, a reconciliation with God over sins committed against Him. We will never be justified or reconciled with God for our sins by ourselves, but Christ gave us a way so we can through Him permanently, by His death, burial, and resurrection. “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:9,10.
Now, Job answers Bildad, although he felt like God had taken away his understanding of what was going on, he knew that the Spirit of God was in him ans that God had all the power. Who was he to question it. “But Job answered and said, How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee? Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?” – Job 26:1-6,12-14..
“his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.” It is pointless to try to understand with all the great power God has why He allows the devil to have so much power himself. It is wise to understand that God has a purpose for all that we go through and has we remain faithful to Him He will get us through it. May we all have the boldness to join Job as he stands by his integrity. “As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.” – Job 27:2-6.
“God forbid that I should justify you:” If someone is going to stereotype us we have a right to defend ourselves and stand by our beliefs. Job was never as concerned about knowing the answer to why he was struggling as he was about knowing that God was in His life. “Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.” – Job 28:20-25.
“Whence then cometh wisdom?” The word wise means having the power of discerning and judging correctly. The word wisdom means the right use of knowledge. You do not have to be a scholar to know that some people do not need to know certain things because if they did they would abuse it in the worst way. This kind of wisdom is evil and does not come from God, pure wisdom is of God and everyone prospers from it. “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” – James 3:13-17.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed through Job as he would not give up his integrity. The religious groups stereotyped Jesus as a blasphemer for saying He was the Son of God, and even killed Him for it, but He would not give up His integrity and was exalted. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” – Acts 5:30,31.
Today’s Prayer: God, When I am facing affliction it feels like I am all alone and everyone has something to criticize me about. It’s a big challenge to find You in the midst of all this, but I know You are there and that Your hand never leaves me. Lord, give me Your power to endure my affliction, give me the wisdom to know how to handle those who stereotype me, and fill me Your mercy and grace so that I never lose hope of an end to all this, with Your glory shining through. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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