God’s Work

Today’s reading is Job 20-24.

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside” (Job 23:8-11, ESV). Despite the hype of emotional sermonizing by many preachers and the small group banter, sometimes the God Filled feel God Abandoned. Just ask Job. In these moments, the God Filled have to remember it is not about what we feel, but about what is real. And God really is there working on our behalf whether we feel Him or not. He knows the way we take, so let us hold fast to his steps. In the end, we will come out as gold. Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Job 25-31.

Today’s reading is Ezra 1-5.

The first time you put some box or junk out in the garage, it bothers you, but the more you pass by, the more used to it you get until you don’t even notice the mess anymore. When something is new, it is easy to get after the work, but once the newness wears off, it is easy to be satisfied with unfinished business. That happened to the Jews when they returned from captivity. They jumped into the work of the altar and the temple, but then they had some opposition and discouragement and eventually just got used to having an altar, a foundation, and no temple. They needed a swift prophetic kick in the pants to get back on the ball. We can do the exact same thing if we are not careful. We long to “rebuild God’s temple” (speaking of Christ’s church, cf. Ephesians 2:19-22) in our modern world, but we can be easily distracted by daily life and discouraged by the opposition. If we are not careful, we get used to unfinished work and mediocrity. May God always give us the swift kick in the pants we need to build His temple today.

Monday’s reading is Ezra 6-10.