A bird doesn’t sing out of duty or duress, but because it has a song within and must sing it. Crises don’t form character as much as they reveal it. If a man is full of selfishness and bitterness, when he is jostled by circumstances, that’s what comes out. If he is filled with the […]
We don’t like to talk about it, but it’s the last stop before we take off. But take off to where? Now’s the time to make those plans. […]
“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Prov 27:1). That’s for sure! Ephesians 4:27 gives this blunt warning: “nor give place to the devil.” Others translate it, “Don’t give him a foothold.” You can see why in our story today. Would the enemy strike a glancing blow against Job […]
They say a paradox is truth standing on its head to attract attention. It’s defined as “a seemingly contradictory statement that is nevertheless true.” Listen to the accusation against some early followers of Jesus: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” (Acts 17:6) It seemed that way! Their leader was […]
Not to be confused with “running the gauntlet” (Swedish, gatlopp, meaning “loping the course”). To “throw down the gauntlet” is a vestige from the days of chivalry when a challenge to combat was issued by throwing one’s heavy armored glove (French, gantelet) at the feet of an opponent. So what was this challenge? Listen. “Then the Lord said […]
The devil isn’t independent. God sustains him, and, in spite of himself, he advances God’s purposes. Twice we read “there was a day” (Job 1:6, 13). The first describes a debate in heaven and the other a debacle on earth. We soon discover that the one is directly related to the other. We read, “the sons of God […]
The believing home is a hothouse for growth, a lighthouse of truth, and a storehouse of blessings. You’ve probably heard, “It takes a steady hand to hold a full cup.” Job’s cup was certainly full. “And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five […]
In searching for my lost wallet, an unexpected lesson was found. […]
Job suffers not because he’s the worst of men but because he’s the best: “there is none like him” ( Job 1:8). “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” ( Job 1:1). And what a man […]