Send to Kindleby Robin McKinley,
Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Eric,
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What do you do when things you are not happy with happen to you? Do you blame God or do you make excuses for Him? In the book of Job, God allowed the afflictions done to Job. His wife, however, wanted him just to give up.
But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. Job 2:10
Don’t Blame God
In the first couple of chapters of Job, God and Satan had a conversation. Satan told the Lord that he had been patrolling the earth. God asked him the following question.
Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” Job 1:8
Satan answered God in verses 9 and 10 by saying the following.
“Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! Job 1:9-10
So God put Job’s faith on the line and told Satan, “All right, you may test him.” “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.”
After a second conversation, God said Job fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.
Satan ended up taking all of Job’s possessions, including his children and his health.
Satan inflicted Job with painful boils and sores that covered his body, and that’s where we pick up the story with our verse for today.
As Job scraped off the boils with a piece of pottery, his wife asked, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” Job responded to her by saying,
But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. Job 2:10
Don’t Make Excuses For God
Don’t Blame God Or Make Excuses For Him
I’m not sure if you realize what happened with Job. God bragged about how he lived a life of integrity, so He permitted Satan to afflict Job just short of taking his life. Job didn’t let God down at all.
When we get to heaven, we should thank Job the first chance we get. Because I know my life, and I can’t see God bragging on me. Job passed the ultimate test from Satan, so we don’t have to.
Even though Satan will test and tempt us, compared to what Job went through, our afflictions are minimal. At that, nobody likes to go through pain and suffering. At one time or another, though, we will all experience both.
Blaming God is not the solution because He is always the answer. Do you struggle to understand things you have gone through? Or are you going through things right now? Welcome to the club! God is still the answer.
We know we will experience ups and downs in this life. The question is, are we willing to receive not only good from the Lord but also the bad?
We tend to make clichés out of scripture verses. God does everything for our good. God orders our steps. And, of course, he won’t give us more than we can handle.
As much as Job went through, he maintained his integrity with God. There is no reason we can’t depend on Him and keep our integrity intact.
Lord, thank you for always being there for us, even when we aren’t enjoying the situation.
About the Author:
Robin, with his wife Cindy, became children’s evangelists early in their ministry. They ministered to children full time for 8 years. During that time they developed several children’s stories which were told with visuals and puppets.
Robin recently turned two of those stories into children’s books. One is called “The Contest,” a book about the Fruit of the Spirit, and the other is called “Twas the Night of Christmas”. He has also authored 5 volumes of devotional books called, 3 Minutes Alone with God. Each entry is a product of his personal biblical Journaling.
These and his other writings are available on his website called Christian Perspectives at www.ramckinley.com. When you visit this site, you can sign-up for newly written devotions as they come out which will be emailed to you.
Presently Robin is the pastor of Calvary Christian Center in Pottstown, PA. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He and his wife make their home in Birdsboro, Pa. He also serves as the president of the local ministerium. He and Cindy have two married sons and four grandchildren.
