7 Things I Learned From the Book of Job

1. Satan has no power without God's permission. If he wants to come against us, he must go before God and ask.
1. "'Does Job fear God for nothing?' Satan replied. 'Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself, do not lay a finger.'" (Job 1:9-12).
2. Then, Satan comes before the Lord a second time to ask permission to cast bodily afflictions on Job. The Lord replies "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life" (Job 2).
2. Keep faith even when things aren't going well.
3. Trust that God has a plan.
4. Friends don't always have good advice; listen to your own inner voice.
5. Satan isn't always to blame for bad things.
1. Though people blame Satan for bad things, sometimes God allows them for lessons.
1. Job's suffering
2. Jonah in the belly of the whale
3. Plagues on Egypt
6. God's wrath is powerful.
1. Punishment of Job's friends
1. "After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Tamanite, 'I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has'" (Job 42: 7-8).
2. Sodom & Gomorrah
3. Egypt's Pharaoh
4. Flood in the time of Noah
7. God's mercy is abundant
1. Job's friends' chance to regain favor
1. In Job 42:8, it seems that God leaves Job's friends' punishment up to Job in a way. To me, it sounds like God says he will determine their punishment upon Job's prayer. Of course, God knows that Job will pray for their forgiveness, but I wonder if it was a briefly terrifying moment for Job's friends, who had so wronged him by speaking harshly and falsely to him.
2. Ninevah's chance to repent and find forgiveness

Wisdom from a Child

While reading Heidi by Johanna Spyri, I came across a great quote. The doctor is asking Heidi if being on the Alm can cure anyone, even if they don't believe they can be helped, and don't trust God because their sorrow is from God.

Heidi's reply is thus: "'One must wait,' she said after a while, 'and must always think that soon the good God will bring something to make one happier; that something will come out of the trouble, but one must keep perfectly quiet and not run away. After a while it will be quite plain how God had all the time something good in his thoughts, though we did not know it" (pg 222).

Wow. How profound. Wait simply on the Lord, and trust that He knows what He is doing. We must "keep perfectly quiet and not run away" or try to fix it ourselves, but simply trust.

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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).

Love Thy Neighbor

I'm still sick today, and for the past two days, one of my neighbors has been blasting their music, which hasn't helped any of my symptoms. I don't want to go outside since I'm sick, and no one has been able to get her to open the door to ask her to turn it down. So, short of calling the police or breaking down the door and demolishing the radio, what can I do?

Well, when I'm having trouble with a neighbor playing loud music, I do what I call "music wars." I turn up my worship music to a level that is loud enough I can no longer hear theirs, but not so loud as to disturb the neighbors. Sometimes I'll put in headphones. Whether or not it completely blocks the other music is irrelevant. Worship music puts me in the right mindset. Rather than obsessing over the annoyance, I focus on God, and praise Him.

So, today's post is going to be about dealing with annoying neighbors (in case you hadn't guessed). What does the Bible tell us about neighbors, and dealing with people who annoy you?

Leviticus 24:19 - Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner.

I just grinned like a loon picturing my neighbor strapped to a chair forced to listen to horribly loud music until their sinus headache returns full force. Oops! I'm still not in the right mindset. Moving on...

Psalm 79:4 - We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.

Because we serve God, our neighbors will hate and come against us. - John 15:19 says "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

Still not what I was looking for...

Proverbs 3:29 - Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.

Okay. Okay. I'm listening. I won't break her radio.

Matthew 5:43-46 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?"

Okay. Love my neighbors and my enemies. Difficult, but doable.

So, what do we do when people annoy us?

Proverbs 12:16 - Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

I'm not always good at this. I mean, if you insult me, I may not react. Outwardly. But that doesn't mean I react the correct way inside. Something to work on: meet insults with a smile, inside and out.

Matthew 6:14 - For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Forgive if you want to be forgiven. 

And there is one more I just remembered that fits perfectly:
"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:19-20).

There is a lot more to that chapter, so I encourage everyone to read it!

Letting God Use Us

While looking at online devotionals (just out of curiosity) I came across a quote from a pastor. I wish I'd written it down, but I didn't, and I can't find it. I'll try to paraphrase as best and honestly as I can. It said to be careful about praying for God to use you, because He would "use you up" if you do.

I blinked at my computer. I blinked across the room. Then, I remember an intense surge of...anger, or indignation. I took a breath, and asked myself why I was angry. It took a few minutes, but I finally figured it out.

When we accept God into our lives, we become His. We belong to Him, and only to Him. He is the King. The only God. The ultimate Ruler. Our lives are His, to do with what He will, and if we're following Him, and we accept that His ways are best, that's not something to cringe at. We are His to use as He wills. And that's a marvelous thing. It's terrifying! I know. It's terrifying to not know what's going to happen; that's where trust that God knows more than we do comes in. So, even though it's terrifying, it's still marvelous! If we allow ourselves to be used and don't fight it, but keep the attitude of "Yes, Lord," we will be blessed. This is much easier to say than to do, but we should remember it, and say it, so that it gets so ingrained in us that it becomes easy to do.

Now, it's always possible that God will require us to go somewhere we don't want, and preach something we don't want (like in Jonah). It's also possible that we won't be as blessed with worldly rewards as some, and sometimes that can be annoying, and cause us to falter. But if we follow God, we will have our rewards. Our bodies are mortal, but our souls are eternal. Our bodies have an expiration date, but that part of us that makes us...well, us...doesn't. So, we don't need worldly goods, because they won't last.

*takes a deep breath* Okay. Back to my point: We belong to God, so we should pray for Him to use us, we should want Him to use us for His purpose. We might get more than we can handle, but we know that God is always with us - "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:8) - and that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). So, it's okay if we feel overwhelmed by what God has called us to do. We just have to remember to ask and rely on Him for strength.

So, my eye twitched when I read the quote, and I was immediately on my guard. This is why we have to read our Bibles and be diligent. Just because a pastor says it doesn't make it true or good. We must be able to discern for ourselves.

If I can find the quote, I'll redo this post and add it. God bless you!

In Sickness and in Health

God is always with us, even when we're sick. I'm sick today, and I got curious (like I always do when I have time to sit and think).

What does the Bible say about sickness?

(Deuteronomy 7:15) - "The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you."

Okay. That's a great verse, but not really what I was looking for. Hmm. What else?

(Exodus 23:25-26) - "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span."

Another great verse. "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water." I always pray before I eat, thanking the Lord. If there's any doubt about how the food was prepared or something, I always ask a special blessing of protection too. Still not what I was looking for though.

(Psalm 34:29) - "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."

That's a great one! Just because we serve God doesn't mean we won't ever have troubles or be ill, but He'll be right with us through them all, and will deliver us.

(Jeremiah 30:17) - "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the Lord, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'"

Okay, in this chapter, God is talking about the restoration of Israel.  I included it because I have a question: Does that mean the verse doesn't apply to me? You know something? I don't know.

I wonder that sometimes. When God is speaking to a specific person, or to Israel does that mean what He said won't apply to me if it's something like this? Maybe. But there is always something to learn, so in some way it will apply to me.

(Proverbs 13:12) - "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Interesting. What does that mean? I think it's referring to spiritual longing being fulfilled, because I know I always feel better when I commune with God. Often, I will long to go home so I can have complete silence to do so.

(Proverbs 18:14) - "The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?"

I like that one. Since I'm sick, I'm looking at the first part and reading it as "I will prevail!" Haha.

(Matthew 9:11-12) - "When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.'"

This is talking about people who are sick spiritually, but I like the verse anyway.

I know most of the Bible verses about sickness refer to more than just a physical ailment like a summer cold, but I was curious. I really enjoyed finding these! I think my favorite verse from this was Psalm 34:29.

Of course, there are many more verses, and a lot of them are in the New Testament about Jesus healing the sick. God can heal any ailment we have, if we only believe, and ask.

Holy Ground

Just a note, since this is my first post: I want to include a Bible verse on every post, so if it isn't incorporated with the post, it'll be at the bottom, and will at least go with the theme of the post. Though I prefer to use the KJV, I will quote from the NIV, because I know not everyone likes the KJV. Now, on to the post!
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In church, one of the choir members said this: "Where we walk is holy, because God is in us."

God is always with us, even when we can't see Him, and wherever He is is holy. So, no matter where we are, whether we're at church, at home, at work, or just walking down the street, we are standing on Holy Ground.

I think that's a great way to look at it, and it has changed the way I approach certain things, and perhaps even my inner self. When we accept God in our lives, and follow His Word, teachings, and plans, our inner selves change, and it is reflected outwardly, even if just in a small way.

It had been a long time since someone I didn't know very well apologized to me for cursing. I volunteer at the local cat shelter, and just last week, a man who works there cursed because he was frustrated and that's what he's used to. I was focused on what I was doing, and it barely registered. What did register was that he apologized for it. I had never mentioned that I don't curse, or that I don't like hearing it. I have mentioned to other volunteers that I go to church. Word gets around when you talk about it. Wherever you go, God is with you, in you, it shows (in your words and in your actions), and others will take notice.

So, remember: we walk on Holy Ground, because we walk with God.
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"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

*There are only 2 verses in the Bible about Holy Ground, and, while both are good verses (Exodus 3:5 & Acts 7:33) neither fit when I tried to include them at the end.

What Kind of Blog is This!?

Hello! If you've clicked the link to my blog, you've discovered it's still very new. So, what kind of blog is it?

This blog is a...journal...of sorts. I have recently started going back to church, and trying to follow God's will for me. Some days, it's really hard, and other days it's easy. Some days everything makes sense, and other days nothing makes sense. I have tried writing in a journal, but when I do that, I tend to just write things about Bible verses that confuse me, or require further study, and I rarely follow up on my thoughts, so I figured making it a blog might give me motivation to do further study, or at least give me a place for feedback.

So, this blog is exactly what the title says it is. It's going to be filled with my musings and reflections. For this, I want to write a post once a week (more if I have time) about something that made me stop and think during the week. Sometimes I'll have paragraphs and pages of things to say, and other times I may just have one question. This is more for my personal growth and reflection, but I wanted to post it online instead of keeping it locked away somewhere. I've learned that if I'm having a problem with it, someone else is too, or has before. I've also learned that feedback from people is a great way to grow and to learn.

I don't claim that everything I'm going to say in this blog is going to be correct, because I'm learning, and this is a journal blog, not a teaching blog. So, I welcome feedback. If I can't answer one of my own questions, and you can, great! If I say something that is incorrect (and you can prove it with a Bible verse), great! Please correct me. I am doing this to learn, reflect, and grow.

If you found this blog on purpose, welcome! If you found it by accident, welcome! If you're here, there's a reason, so please don't get frustrated and run screaming before you've given it a chance. You might find something that surprises you.

Now, I'm off to think about what will be in my first post. I'll try not to do too much proofing so the posts are true reflections and musings, but I do want them to make sense (most of the time).

Thank you for visiting my blog. God bless you!