Job 1:10
“Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.” Most know the testimony of Job quite well. He lived in the land of Uz, and was known as a perfect and upright man, who feared God and eschewed evil. People who knew Job knew his priorities. He had a reputation of living for God and for being a man of faith in Him. Satan even knew Job. When he came into His presence, the Lord Himself spoke of Job to Satan, and in verses 9-11 we find his response to the Lord’s suggestion. Job 1:9-11 “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Satan also knew that Job was living inside the hedge that the Lord had placed around him. He knew that if he was to do anything to him, the Lord Himself would have to remove the hedge from Job in order for Satan to be able to touch him. The Lord had shut him inside a hedge of divine protection. That’s what the Lord does for His children. He did it for Noah and his family just before the earth was destroyed by the flood. Genesis 7:15-16 “And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” Have you ever been aware of the hedge of protection God has around you? Maybe you’ve experienced trials where you knew that God had allowed Satan to inflict your live. When trials come, remember that God had to have allowed it. He works things together for our good and His glory. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Thank God for the hedge today. Bible Reading: Genesis 41-42 | John 21
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There are at least two types of burdens in the Bible:
Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Burdens: heaviness, weight, trouble These are the burdens that are trials. The weight of them hurt us and we desire for them to be lifted off of us, but they are ultimately for our good and His glory. We are told to bear these types of burdens FOR someone else. Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.“ But there’s another type of burden… This type of burden is also heavy and weighs upon our hearts. It can also cause pain, but it's a different type of pain. Instead of carrying the burden FOR someone else, we are to carry this type of burden TO someone else. This is when we are so burdened for someone else to receive something that we are willing to bring it to them. The Apostle Paul had this burden for the people of Israel. Romans 9:2 “That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.” Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is…” What is our heart’s desire and prayer to God this morning? Paul’s was very specific. Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.” This is the type of burden that we should desire to have! Can we say, like Paul, that our hearts’ desire and prayer to God this morning is to see people saved? If that is true, what are we doing about it? The greatest burden (trial) someone can have is being without Christ… …while the greatest blessing we can receive is bringing someone to Christ. If we will allow ourselves to have a burden for lost souls, we will see an abundance of blessings from the Lord. Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Bible Reading: Genesis 39-40 | John 20 Romans 1:20
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” A beautiful sunset. A peaceful waterfall. A mountain range surrounded by fog. A wave crashing onto the shore. These and countless other breathtaking experiences remind us each and every day of the God Who created them. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” This world does not exist by accident. No Big Bang occurred to begin the process of all that we see around us. There is only One explanation. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” One Creator, Who spoke it all into existence. Genesis 1:3-4 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” His creation speaks more boldly than we do. Bible Reading: Genesis 37-38 | John 19 These four words are found together seven times within the Scriptures.
Within the context of each of the passages where these verses are found lie seven Truths for us to remember Who the Lord is to us each and every single day of our lives. Jehovah, the Self-existing One, He is the LORD. Whatever our situation, He is the LORD. Whatever our surroundings, He is the LORD. Whatever storm we find ourselves in, He is the LORD. He Protects Us. Psalm 3:3 “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” He Chastens Us. Psalm 6:3 “My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?” He Sustains Us. Psalm 41:10 “But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.” He Fights For Us. Psalm 59:8 “But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.” He Cares About Us. Psalm 86:15 “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” He Is Always There For Us. Psalm 102:12 “But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.” He Knows Us. Jeremiah 12:3 “But thou, O LORD, knowest me…” He knows our every need, and is willing and able to help us in every aspect of our lives. What comfort there is knowing Him. In times of doubt or fear remember… ”But thou, O LORD…” Bible Reading: Genesis 35-36 | John 18 Romans 1:15
“So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.” Paul was ready to preach. Not everyone is called to be what we know of as a preacher today, but all of us are called to be ready to do something for the glory of God. Being ready does not necessarily mean you are fully prepared at the time, but that you are preparing. Prepare by searching the Scriptures. John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Prepare by sanctifying your heart. 1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” Prepare by submitting to the power of God. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Are you diligently seeking what the Lord has for you to do? Bible Reading: Genesis 33-34 | John 17 Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Losing leads to gaining. Humility leads to exaltation. Dying leads to living. Although these statements may sound contradictory to how our minds think, they are truthful examples of how God’s thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours. How can losing become gaining? Mark 16:25 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” How can humility lead to exaltation? James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” How can death bring forth life? Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” In those times when we do not understand what is happening or why circumstances occur in or lives, may we remember that His ways are higher and so much better than ours. His ways bring salvation. His ways bring eternal life. His ways bring joy. His ways bring peace. “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.” – Jim Elliot Bible Reading: Genesis 31-32 | John 16 John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” In John 15, we have a beautiful picture of our relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father. Imagine a man walking the fields of a vineyard, observing the fruit of his labourers. He walks up and down each row, inspecting the condition of the branches of the vines. Some have no grapes on them, so he uproots the plant and removes it from the field. Some have a few grapes, so he prunes the shoots in order to produce more growth, and therefore more fruit. The pruning hurts the branch some, but the man knows that this is what is best in the long run. Not too long from now, he will return to the field to find this pruned branch bearing more fruit and therefore fulfilling its true purpose. This analogy is very similar to how we are able to produce more fruit as children of God. We are connected to the True Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ, the moment we trust in Him by faith for salvation. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Each of us are branches being inspected by our Father, and our fruitfulness depends upon our connection to His Son, Jesus Christ. When we produce some fruit, God sees the areas of our lives that prevent us from bearing much fruit, and often chooses to purge or prune those areas in order to enable us to produce more fruit for His glory. John 15:8 “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” The purging is hurtful at the time, but like a good parent chastens their children in order to teach them to do right, so does our Heavenly Father as He sees what we don’t. Trust Him in the midst of your purging season, and look forward to the promise that this situation will allow you to become more fruitful for His glory. John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” We can have joy in the midst of the purging seasons as we abide in Him. Bible Reading: Genesis 29-30 | John 15 Philippians 3:8-11
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” None of us like to lose. None. Of. Us. Whether it is family game night, our favorite team is playing, or a race to the best parking spot in front of [enter your choice of store here], we do not like finishing second, much less last. But that is not the type of losing Paul writes about in Philippians 3. The loss that he refers to are those times in life when we no longer have something or someone we once did. Sometimes God removes situations, places or people from our lives so that our focus is no longer on our surroundings, but on our Saviour. The Realization of Christ Philippians 3:8 “…for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…” Knowing more about Christ is worth any loss we experience. The Reward of Christ Philippians 3:8 “…that I may win Christ …” Though we may suffer while we lose, there is no better reward than Him. The Reception of Christ Philippians 3:9 “And be found in him …” When we place of faith in Christ, God sees the righteousness of His Son instead of our unrighteousness. We once were lost, but through Him we are found. The Reality of Christ Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him…” The more we lose, the more we can know Him. It is in those times when we feel like we have lost it all, that we must pick up the Word of God and look within those precious pages in order to find ourselves once again…in Him. Bible Reading: Genesis 27-28 | John 14 Philippians 3:7
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” In this life we are given many things and people. Many times, we fail to remember where, or rather Who, these gifts come from. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” God in His infinite wisdom gives us everything and everyone we have. The very breath of life inside of us came from Him. The lungs we breathe with, He created. He freely gives us everything. With His gifts, comes purpose. Purpose for us, and a purpose for which He wants us to use the gifts He has given. Many times, He gives so that we may be willing to lose for Him. Mark 8:35 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Paul was willing to lose everything he had for the sake of knowing Christ. He was willing to have nothing if it meant he could know Jesus Christ more. Could we say that today? God simply wants us to be willing to lose even the dearest thing to us in order know Him more. The truth of the matter is, when we think we have lost something or someone for the sake of Christ, we end up receiving so much more that we had before. Bible Reading: Genesis 25-26 | John 13 Romans 10:13
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In this verse we find the simple way of salvation. “For whosoever…” This tells us who is eligible. Whosoever simply means anyone. No one is disqualified no matter their circumstance. While anyone is able, there is something that everyone must adhere to in order to receive salvation. The Condition “…shall call upon the name of the Lord…” We must call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is through Him that salvation is found. The Blessing “…shall be saved.” Salvation is the free gift that we receive when we call upon Him. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 10:13 is a simplification of three previous verses in Chapter 10 which explain what it means to “call upon the name of the Lord.” Romans 10:8-10 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” When we call upon His Name, we do so by confessing and believing in Him by faith. It is not a prayer that saves us, but our faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Bible Reading: Genesis 23-24 | John 12 |
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