THE ENDING OF JOB'S TRIALS

“And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10 KJV).

Trial will not last forever, and so we see Job’s trials coming to an end. Trials have a purpose and when that is accomplished, the trial ends. From our verse, we want to note – God’s power, God’s prerequisite, and God’s provisions.

God’s power – “The Lord restored Job’s losses.” Trials often seem to take us captive. They chain us in distressing circumstances. However, God’s power is infinite and He can deliver us from all trials. There has never been a trial from which He could not deliver us. Psalm 34:19 reminds that, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Our afflictions may seem too great for us, but God is always able. He has the power to deliver and restore.

God’s prerequisite – “When he prayed for his friends.” God’s power in delivering us from trial is limited to our attitude. If we are not willing to pray for those who have wronged us, we should not expect for God to work much on our behalf. These “friends” really aggravated Job. God told them, “You have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has” (Job 42:7). Yet Job was to pray for them that God in grace would not “deal with you after your folly” (Job 42:8). That took a lot of grace. If we want God’s grace working to deliver us from trial, we also will need to exercise grace.

God’s provisions – “The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Trials are meant to bless us, not curse us. When trials come, they seem to devastate us as it appeared so in Job’s case. Yet in the end, Job received twice as much. God sends trials to increase our blessings. We need to remember this the next time we are under trial and it seems that all is lost. We need not give up. Some of the best blessings come to us only through trial.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Those who bless God in their trials will be blest by God through their trials!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dishonest

In Titus 1:11 we read, “Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain” (NKJV).

Dishonest is the Greek word aischros (αἰσχρός = ahee-skhros'). It means shameful, base, disgraceful, dishonorable. In Classical Greek aischros is anything that causes shame, disgrace. This can be either physical appearance or a moral condition. In the Septuagint aischros is used in the same general sense as Classical Greek. It is especially used of the shame that is brought about by divine judgment. In the New Testament, aischros was used to carry the idea of nakedness, shame associated with sexual perversion and to the shame of money.

Here in Titus 1:11, the apostle Paul it referring to monies acquired by those who preached the Word of God for their own profit.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah’s blood would be the sign of the covenant between God and man (Ex. 24:6-8)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 26:28

Bible Facts

Death explained (Rom. 6:23). All eventually die. The Bible alone explains why we die – In Eze. 18:20 we read, “The soul who sins shall die.” Sin is transgression of God’s Law. It is rebellion, rejecting, ignoring, disobeying, and refusing to live for God. Each person stands responsible before the Lord for his or her own decisions. The consequences of rejecting the Lord is death, both physical and eternal death. This is why we die.

Bible Quiz

What plant did Jesus curse for not bearing fruit?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Approximately how old was Jesus when he was baptized by John? 30 years old (Luke 3:21).

That’s in the Bible

"Put on sackcloth and ashes”

"When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry” (Esther 4:1 NKJV).

“Put on sackcloth and ashes” - The expression “put on sackcloth and ashes” carries the idea of to being repentant and humble. Sackcloth and ashes were universally recognized as signs of extreme grief and distress. For believers facing any desperate situation, there is always the need for courage, prayer, and fasting. When we face the crises of life, we must be courageous. But we must also seek the face of God, for only God can give us permanent help.

Did You Know - Christian History

Blaise Pascal was born June 19, 1623 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic theologian.

Pascal was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. The young Pascal showed an amazing aptitude for mathematics and science. Pascal grew up accepting the Bible as God’s word, but lived with a sense of spiritual desperation. On November 23, 1654, Pascal was thrown into the roadway as his horses bolted and plunged off a bridge. He saw this as a warning directly from God. That night Pascal experienced a Christian conversion that would cause his outstanding scientific work to take second place. He recognized Jesus, the Word. For the rest of his life Pascal carried around a piece of parchment sewn into his coat - a parchment inscribed with the words:

“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and scholars...Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy...This is life eternal that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ...May I not fall from him forever...I will not forget your word. Amen.”

From that day forward, Blaise Pascal realized even more deeply that he must live primarily for God. He started out by giving much more to the poor. He closely associated himself with the Jansenists, a group of Catholics that emphasized morality in all aspects of life. In 1657 Pascal published his Provincial Letters which criticized the moral teaching of the Jesuits, the rationalism of Descartes, and Montaigne’s skepticism. The Provincial Letters also urged a return to Augustine’s doctrines of grace.

Blaise Pascal was a prominent mathematician, physicist, inventor, and Christian writer. He made important contributions to geometry, calculus, and helped develop the theory of probability. Pascal’s law is the basis for hydraulic operations. At l9, he invented the world’s first mechanical calculator. The computer language known as PASCAL was named after him.

Throughout his life, Pascal was in frail health, especially after the age of 18. He died just two months after his 39th birthday on 18 August 1662 in Paris. His last words were “May God never abandon me.” He was buried in the cemetery of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

A Little Humor

The pro football team had just finished its daily practice session, when a large turkey came strutting onto the field. While the players gazed in amazement, the turkey walked up to the head coach and demanded a tryout. Everyone stared in silence as the turkey caught pass after pass and ran right through the defensive line. When the turkey returned to the sidelines, the coach shouted, “You’re terrific! Sign up for the season, and I’ll see to it that you get a huge bonus.” “Forget the bonus,” the turkey said, “All I want to know is, does the season go past Thanksgiving Day?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“To walk in our own way is to run away from God!”