REACTION TO TRIALS

“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped" (Job 1:20 NKJV).

It seem as if trouble was hitting Job from all direction. He was hit with four great calamities which that took away all his possessions and his children. Yet Job’s reaction to these trials was amazing. Tearing the mantle and shaving the head were the usual outward signs of grief; worship was not. Though Job sorrowed, he did not cease to worship. Job’s worship showed his submission to God, gave him strength from God, and showed his steadfastness for God.

Submission to God - Worship reflected Job’s submission to the will of God. Worship honors God. By worshiping God after his trials, Job was not blaming God for his troubles; rather he was accepting God’s providence for his life. In trial it is easy to blame God. Worship is submission to God, not slandering of God. There are times when we must in faith trust the wisdom of God when we cannot in our own wisdom make sense of our trials.

Strength from God - Worship strengthens us for our trials. When trouble comes, most of us often make the mistake of skipping church as well as our daily devotions. We become so taken up with grieving that we neglect our worship of God. This only makes problems worse. We really need spiritual strength when trials batter us; worshiping God will give us the strength we need to cope with our troubles. We do not need a psychologist to help us cope when grief comes, rather we need to worship God!

Steadfastness for God – Worship demonstrates Job’s steadfastness and loyalty to God. It is easy to worship when the sun is shining, but to worship when storms come reveals the steadfastness of our faith. Satan claimed Job only worshipped because God prospered him. The trials proved Satan wrong. What does our trials say about our faith in God?

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“As the diamond cannot be polished without friction, so the Christian cannot be perfected without trial!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Difficult

In2 Tim. 3:1 we read, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come” (NASB).

Difficult is the Greek word chalepos (χαλεπός = khal-ep-os'). It means hard, difficult, fierce, violent, perilous, dangerous. In Classical Greek the word means difficult and is frequently used of people and emotions. Hence it carries the idea of hard to bear or deal with, painful, harsh, grievous or troublesome.

In the Septuagint the basic meaning of chalepos is terrible. In the New Testament chalepos is used in Matthew to describe two demoniacs as “exceeding fierce” (Matt. 8:28). Here in 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul uses chalepos to describe the time before the Lord’s coming as “perilous times.” Times will become so difficult and dangerous that people will simply hide. Fortunately, for the believer in the Lord Jesus there will be the sustaining presence of God with him constantly.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be resurrected from the dead (Psalm 16:10-11; 49:15)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 28:5-6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5-6

Bible Facts

Atomic fission anticipated (2 Peter 3:10-12). Scripture states that “the elements will melt with fervent heat” when the earth and the heavens are “dissolved” by fire. Today we understand that if the elements of the atom are loosed, there would be an enormous release of heat and energy (radiation).

Bible Quiz

What was the meat that God provided to the Israelites in the wilderness?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: What led the Children of Israel by day while they were in the wilderness? “A pillar of cloud” (Exodus 13:21).

That’s in the Bible

"Lion shall lie down with the lamb”

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, says the LORD” (Isa. 65:25 NKJV).

“Lion shall lie down with the lamb” - The expression “lion shall lie down with the lamb” means a future hope for peace. During the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ Jerusalem will be a place of joy. Sorrow will be vanished, and people will enjoy safety and the produce of their vineyards; God’s blessing will be on their work and families. Wild animals will lose their ferocity and harmony and safety will prevail under God’s good hand. Nature will be at peace because the curse of sin will be lifted.

Did You Know - Christian History

The East - West Schism, also called the Great Schism and the Schism of 1054, was the break of communion between what are now the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches, which has lasted since the 11th century. The Schism was the culmination of theological and political differences between the Christian East and West which had developed over the preceding centuries, and marked the first time since the Edict of Milan that there was more than one body considered by secular authorities to constitute the Christian Church.

In the early church three bishops stood forth prominently - the bishops of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria. The transfer of the seat of empire from Rome to Constantinople and the later eclipse of Alexandria and Antioch as battlegrounds of Islam and Christianity promoted the importance of Constantinople. This made Roman popes increase their claims to preeminence.

Further, Eastern theology was rooted in Greek philosophy, while a great deal of Western theology was based on Roman law. This gave rise to misunderstandings that led to widely different ways of regarding and defining one important doctrine - the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father or from the Father and the Son. The Roman churches, without consulting the East, added “and from the Son” (Latin: Filioque) to the Nicene Creed. Further, the Eastern churches resented the Roman enforcement of clerical celibacy, the limitation of the right of confirmation to the bishop, and the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist.

The final break came in 1054, when Pope Leo IX struck at Michael Cerularius and his followers with an excommunication; Cerularius retaliated with a similar excommunication. Western pleas for reunion such as those at the Council of Lyon (1274) and the Council of Ferrara-Florence (1439), were rejected by the Byzantines.

The schism has never been healed, though relations between the churches improved following the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), which recognized the validity of the sacraments in the Eastern churches. In 1979 the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was established by the Holy See and 14 autonomous churches to further foster ecumenism. Dialogue and improved relations continued into the early 21st century

A Little Humor

The parents took their little girl to an art museum to teach her how to appreciate art. They observed a painting of the Romans throwing the Christians to the lions. The parents were soon realized that the little girl was crying, and were gratified that she was so sympathetic. That is until she informed them why she was crying: “One of the lions didn’t have a Christian to eat.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Playing with sin is toying with judgment!”