20 Jul (Job 3-37)

Job 3-37

Our Day by Day Bible skims over the middle of this book, mostly because the theme is the same...Job's "friends" keep trying to convince him that he brought on the trouble he had.

I think it's important to take time here and discuss with our kids the role that God plays in our lives and the highs and lows that we experience.

If we read Rom 8:28 we see that God uses the trials and hardships in our lives, to mold us into more like His Son. God doesn't tempt us, but He allows us to be tempted, so we CHOOSE to follow Him...even when we're not sure He's listening to us.

Our kids will ask this question, as we have ourselves during times when it seems that God has allowed tragedy to come into our lives...Why Do Christians Have Trials?

To Glorify God ~ There is no better witness, than when we're suffering, to show our faith and dependence upon God to others. Dan 3:16-18, 24-25

Discipline for Sinning ~ Our sins are forgiven, but there are consequences for our decisions in life. God uses discipline, like a shepherd who breaks the leg of a rebellious lamb, to keep it closer to Him and dependent upon Him. Heb 12:5-11, James 4:17, Rom 14:23

To Prevent Us From Falling Away ~ God uses trials to bring us to repentance, and to bring us back to Him. 1 Peter 4:1-2

To Keep Us From Pride ~ If life were easy after being born-again, then everyone would do it just for that reason! God doesn't want us to choose Him for the benefits only, He wants us to choose to follow Him because we love Him and are grateful for what He did for us! If we live life thinking we earned all that we have, we will not be grateful to God for what He gave us. 2 Cor 12:7-10

To Build Faith ~ We learn from our mistakes more than we do from our victories. By going through hard times, we learn more about ourselves, our family and friends, and mostly, we grow closer to God. James 1:2-4

To Cause Growth ~ We are justified in Christ by our asking God to be our Savior...but He is truly our LORD when we let Him guide our paths. Our lives after being born again is called Sanctification, and that is the process of becoming more like Christ. Prov 3:5-6, Rom 5:3-5

To Teach Obedience ~ This is one of the hardest to learn. God doesn't want our lip-service...He wants obedience. Actions speak louder than words. Acts 9:15-16

To Equip Us To Comfort Others ~ When a parent loses a child, or goes through divorce, only one who has walked in their shoes can relate and understand their pain. God uses us to grieve, listen and share our experiences with those who are going through what we already have. 2 Cor 1:3-4

To Bear Fruit of Our Faith ~ It's easy to praise God when times are good, but when they're tough, only the truly faithful keep their trust in Him. Sometimes, our actions will bring someone to Christ, just by our inner peace, knowing God will see us through. 2 Cor 4:7-11

For Testimony to the Angels ~ God created Mankind in His image, and the angels marvel as we struggle and fight evil to follow God. They rejoiced to see God make the universe, and they rejoice when another person is saved! Eph 3:8-11, 1 Tim 3:16

SOURCE: Hal Lindsey, Combat Faith