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“Job was a victor when he was living the victorious life, and he was a victor when all the victory was gone. Every word stated above is just as true for you. I hope you feel the freedom in that as deeply as I do.”
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 55.
Freedom doesn’t come as a result of having victory in our lives. Sure there is an element of freedom that money, position and power can afford. But that kind of freedom is like sugar – 10 minutes after you eat it you feel hollow again. Freedom that lasts can be tapped into when we disconnect our circumstances from our standing.
I don’t know… Maybe I’m kind of sick, but I love the story of Job. Poor Job follows God as perfectly as He can and all that does is attract the attention of Satan Himself. All Hell breaks loose when God brags on His son and Satan works to get Job to curse God’s existence in his life.
I’m not a fan of the story because of all the horrible things Job went through. I like this story because it paints a picture of reality in this world that seems to go missing in our church services and outside of them as well. Life isn’t always a nice, cushy walk in the park. Hard things come our way, even when we are doing our best to be the kind of creation that worships their creator in all ways possible.
We are part of a much larger story and that fact sometimes gets lost as we focus too closely on our own lives. There is a spiritual battle happening all around us and we often get caught up in the skirmishes in ways that make it awful easy to believe that God’s love isn’t for us at all.
Listen to today's Bible reading.
Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. 1 Peter 4:12-13 (MSG)
Job could easily have jumped to the conclusion that God wasn't on the job due to his difficult life. Who would have blamed him? It is when the stuff hits the fan that a relationship with God can be questioned in ways that just aren't right.
Our reading today tells us what is going on when bad times hit. We are in the thick of what Christ experienced. Spiritual warfare is a messy thing. It can be costly to our personal existence and painful all at the same time. But there is so much more going on behind the scenes. There is a process unfolding and glory is just around the corner according to the 1 Peter reading for today.
Job did his best to resist the temptation to curse God. He even did his best to stay faithful in the belief that God loved Him. It wasn't easy for him to do so. It is just as difficult for you and for me to stay in that place of connection with God when it seems like God has fallen asleep at the wheel of our lives.
If you are facing challenging times today, take heart. You are being compared to some pretty good company - Jesus Himself. Reality is that you and I will probably never face the kinds of difficulties that Jesus did. If He can remain faithful to this God that loved Him, I know you and I can do so as we face difficulties in our lives as well.
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