Thursday Devotional - All-Knowing God and Rebuking Zophar (8/22/24)

Now we meet Job’s third friend, Zophar! We’ve heard Eliphaz start with encouragement and end with ignorant talk. Bildad jumped right in with telling Job what God would or wouldn’t do. Zophar is more like Bildad. He skips over any encouragement and starts immediately with rebuke.

Job 11:1-3, 7-9, 14-19 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

² “Are all these words to go unanswered?
    Is this talker to be vindicated?
³ Will your idle talk reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?

⁷ “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
⁹ Their measure is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.

¹⁴ if you put away the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
¹⁵ then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;
    you will stand firm and without fear.
¹⁶ You will surely forget your trouble,
    recalling it only as waters gone by.
¹⁷ Life will be brighter than noonday,
    and darkness will become like morning.
¹⁸ You will be secure, because there is hope;
    you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
¹⁹ You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
    and many will court your favor.

Zophar was correct that the All-knowing, Almighty God cannot be completely understood and figured out by man. So, why does Zophar proceed to tell Job what God will do if Job repents of his sin? How can he say with complete confidence that God will restore Job’s health, happiness, power, security and fame?

Zophar’s rebuke was not from or of God. There are times to rebuke, but we need to make sure we go about it carefully and accurately, as Paul charged Timothy in II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction." (Side note – we just finished studying II Timothy as a family last night and I realized how much of the book could be used to counter rebuke Job’s friends! 😊)

It’s impossible to know and explain everything about God, but He has revealed certain aspects of Himself through the Bible. Let’s carefully study, apply and share those truths with others so we aren’t a Zophar. Lord, help us to be a true encouragement to the believers around us and to know when and how to appropriately rebuke, when necessary.

Thursday Devotional - All-Knowing God versus Ignorant Eliphaz (7/18/24)

Have you ever had a friend try to give you encouragement or helpful advice that was not helpful, encouraging or even true?

Job’s friends started out well. They compassionately sat with him for 7 days and watched his misery in silence. After Job’s lament in chapter 3, one of his friends tried to speak encouragement.

Job 4:1-9   Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

² “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    But who can keep from speaking?
³ Think how you have instructed many,
    how you have strengthened feeble hands.
⁴ Your words have supported those who stumbled;
    you have strengthened faltering knees.
⁵ But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;
    it strikes you, and you are dismayed.
⁶ Should not your piety be your confidence
    and your blameless ways your hope?

⁷ “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?
    Where were the upright ever destroyed?
⁸ As I have observed, those who plow evil
    and those who sow trouble reap it.
⁹ At the breath of God they perish;
    at the blast of his anger they are no more.

Eliphaz recognized Job’s wise instruction to others and his help to the weak. However, he was confused by Job’s discouragement over his tragic circumstances. He didn’t understand why Job didn’t “know” that evil comes to those who do evil and innocent people don’t suffer.

Eliphaz needed to stop after verse 4. He could highlight the righteous acts he had seen, but he wasn’t all-knowing like God and able to truly explain why Job was experiencing such horrendous loss and pain. He was completely ignorant of all that had transpired between God and Satan.

Reading this reminded me that less is often better, especially when it comes to words! I can speak true and sincere encouragement from what I have seen and not give advice or offer speculation on things I haven’t seen and don’t know. Whether it’s commenting on world events, giving encouragement or offering advice, let’s prayerfully speak.

 

Proverbs 17:27-28 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.

I don’t want to be an ignorant friend like Eliphaz, but wise and discerning with my words! May we point others to our All-knowing God for His truth rather than our tainted understanding!   

Thursday Devotional - Anonymous Note

Have you ever gotten an anonymous note? In the past, I’ve usually been able to figure out who it is from, but a note I got this week has still stumped me! She wrote to encourage me with all the illness that went through our household last week, during the first week the twins lived with us.

She included many encouraging verses and several from Psalm 46.

Psalm 46:1-3, 5, 7, 10         God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

 
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.

 

⁷ The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

The note was signed “Someone who loves and cares for you!”

She wanted me to know she was praying for me and for healing for my family. I pray she feels God’s blessing for her anonymous encouragement! We are all finally feeling better and James’ asthma is much improved.

 

What encouragement can you and I give to someone who needs it this week?

 

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Strength and Encouragement from?

Where do you go to get strength and encouragement? Do you talk to a friend or sibling or parent? Or, do you talk to God first?

He’s the One Sovereign over all. He has all the answers and all wisdom. He’s watching over everything.

My parents and sister have had several health challenges recently that have been scary. Then, there have been some huge decisions made in a couple of the non-profit organizations where I’m involved. Some have been stressful and/or confusing.

As I was crying and praying, God reminded me of the verses my kids and I memorized a couple weeks ago.

Joshua 1:8-9 ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I don’t need to be afraid or discouraged. God is with me and will be with me wherever I go! He and His Word are to be my focus. As I meditate on His Word and listen to Him daily, He will provide the direction, strength, and encouragement He knows I need. He can do the same for you! Will you choose to daily spend time with God, learning His truths? Then, we will be better able to rely on His strength and recognize His presence!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Timely Encouragement from Jesus

Have you been timely encouraged recently?

Last week we saw how Paul was ready and willing to die for Jesus as he traveled back to a hostile Jerusalem. Things went well for the first week in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-26), but then he was wrongly accused, seized, and dragged out of the temple to be killed. God sovereignly had the Roman commander and troops intervene and spare him. The Jews were determined to kill him, though, and continued their wrongful accusations (Acts 21:27-23:10).

That’s when Jesus timely appeared:

Acts 23:11     The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

Jesus didn’t promise it would be smooth sailing, but provided renewed confidence, a new assignment, and evidence He was watching, caring for Him and in control.

I have found it so timely that everyone in the Bible study I’m in has been studying Paul’s difficult trials and hardships while we are going through our own new challenges. It has so encouraged me to keep everything in perspective! Jesus’ words to Paul can apply to us. We are to “take courage!” He’s aware of everything going on around us and everything going forward. He’s in control. He’s watching. He has new and different assignments for us during this time. I can trust Him!  

I know several of the devotional writers have shared timely encouragement from God and His Word during this time. Feel free to share any other Scriptures that have really encouraged you recently!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Driveway Encouragement

A couple week’s ago my sister, Mary, in CT wrote “Jesus loves you!” on her driveway for hundreds of neighbors to see as they walked, biked or jogged by her house. It inspired my son, James, to do something similar on our driveway. He decided to reference his memory verse from Bible study, I Corinthians 15:20, and summarized it with “He has risen!” Then, Sarah decided to write what she could spell – “LOVE GOD.” (see the pictures of both) Since then, we’ve all done different messages after the rain washed them away, including Palm Sunday!

My sister was trying to be a witness and offer encouragement to others by writing the messages. God gave her encouragement in return, though, by having someone leave 2 boxes of chalk on her rock wall out front! She doesn’t know who they were from! It was like God said, “keep doing what you’re doing!”

At times like this, people are more open to hear the truths about:

God (Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of all)

Sin (separates us from God and results in destruction and death)

Jesus Christ (God’s Son, who paid for our sin and offers eternal life)

And the need to surrender our lives to Him because He’s in control anyway!

I Corinthians 15:20-26  ²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Will you join me in praying about how else God wants to use us right now to encourage others and point them to Him?

Alice 

Thursday Devotional - Loving Believers

We all know we are to love one another. It’s often easier said than done. Sometimes it’s even extremely difficult to love fellow believers in our churches. However, I think those are the very people God especially wants us to love and help.  

When Jesus gave His new command to the disciples in John 13, I think He was specifically referring to them loving each other as disciples. They were quite a unique bunch of misfits!

John 13:33-35     ³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

If we have love for one another as believers, that can be attractive to outsiders. Sadly, outsiders often see the quarrels and divisions within the church and don’t want any part of it!

Let’s not be a part of that trend, but let’s allow the Holy Spirit to help us reverse it! What fellow believer will you and I especially love this week? Maybe it’s by giving a helping hand, a note of encouragement, or genuine prayers for their spiritual growth.  

Let’s love each other well!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Daily Encouragement

God gives us each other to help encourage us and to stay accountable to follow God’s Word. If we aren’t careful, we can be easily misled. Having godly people around us daily is important.  

Hebrews 3:12-15 ¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. ¹⁵ As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I usually do my quiet time and Bible study during Sarah’s nap in the afternoon. Well, this past Sunday, I didn’t do that. Joe, James and I were talking in the living room together instead. Then, after the kids went to bed, I wanted to look up some of the Michigan ski deals. However, since Joe was doing Bible study, I did my Bible study first and then had a few minutes to do some research.

We need people around us daily to encourage us in the right direction. (I’m daily encouraged by the other devotional writers and those that comment with additional insight!) We can also be that encouragement to others. Who can you and I encourage today to hear God’s voice?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Timely Encouragement

My Dad’s been back in the hospital this whole week with lots of fluid on the left and right side of his lungs. They gave him strong medicine to help drain the fluid, but he still can’t move much or breath well. Yesterday, they surgically went in and drained another liter of fluid and he’s still not a lot better. On top of that, he got a hematoma where they made the incision in his back. So, it’s been a scary week for all of us. He’s lost over 20 pounds since he’s been in the hospital, so now he’s down to only 160 pounds (and he’s 6 feet tall).  

The doctors still don’t know why fluid is pooling or what the underlying issue is. He had stents put in a couple arteries back in the summer, changed his diet completely and got an excellent report back in September. However, now his heart function is very poor and they don’t know why.

We know we can trust God and ask Him for guidance and healing and care. We’ve been crying out to Him. In God’s perfect timing, we’ve been studying several chapters in the Psalms in Bible Study the last couple of weeks. I’ve read and re-read them. Here are a few of the verses that are especially encouraging right now.

Psalm 59:17  You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.

Psalm 23:4    Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

Psalm 139:13-16      For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

Maybe you are going through something difficult or you know someone going through something difficult. Which of these verses encourages you and which ones will you share with someone else to encourage them?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Timely Encouragement

Once Israel crossed the Jordan River they were in the promised land, but still had a big job ahead of them to conquer all the people that lived there. Unless they swam back across the river, they were stuck! Maybe that’s another reason God miraculously stopped up the Jordan – it would force them to rely on Him and move forward in faith.

As added encouragement, the timing of when they crossed the Jordan was sovereignly planned by God. He had it that they crossed over just in time to celebrate the Passover! According to Exodus 12-13, it was to be celebrated once they were in the promised land on the 14^th day of the first month of the year (year after year) to remember God mightily bringing them out of Egypt.

   

Joshua 5:9-12           Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.¹¹ The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

Not only did God bring the Israelites into the promised land exactly 40 years after bringing them out of Egypt, right in time to celebrate the Passover, but He had them experience the wonderful food of the land before removing His miraculous provision of manna. God continued to prepare, encourage and stretch the Israelites in order for them to accomplish His purposes and receive His blessings.

In the midst of overwhelming changes, we can also look for God’s timely encouragement. We can choose to recognize all His help, preparation and encouragement or wallow in the seemingly daunting tasks ahead. Which will you choose?   

Alice

Bless And Be Blessed

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.  Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.  So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

There is a gentleman at my church who is incredibly gifted and filled with the Holy Spirit. The other day, he gave me a picture.  On it were various thoughts of encouragement.  One of which caught me off guard.  It said, “Lord, bless this man.”  I paused reading it not because I thought something was wrong with him saying it.  It was humbling because it was directed toward me.  To acknowledge that someone thought so much of me that they would ask that God bless me was special.  This gave me strength throughout the day, and I harken back to the gift as a reminder that we all can both bless and be blessed.

Being encouraging of one another strengthens our faith in God. There have been many things in the world that cause sadness, and the sheer volume of them can seemingly steal our joy.  God however reminds us that these times shall pass, and one day we will have eternal life with Him.  Not for a short period of time but forever.  The letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is filled with words of encouragement like today’s verses.  Thus when times seem difficult for others, our role as Christ followers is to be His spirit to those disheartened by the many difficulties in life.  It may be a simple word or a gift.  Perhaps it could be a note just to say you are thinking of them, or a phone call to say you were thinking of them.  “God put you on my mind, and I thought to call and pray for you.”  This may sound minute and trivial in our minds, but for a person hearing it, it speaks volumes.  And for a person who may have been momentarily lost or needing to hear God’s voice, it could be the difference.

God’s powers are limitless. We often will look at things through our own lens, and see only what we can do.  If we change it to God’s view, we realize there is not much we can’t do.  We all need encouragement from time to time.  2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.””  Giving encouragement cost little, but its value could be immense.  Let us focus on those things which lift others up giving cheerfully to people in any way we can.  Who can you bless today in words or deeds?  How can you be encouraged by the blessing you are to Christ?  My prayer is that we look at ourselves realizing that we can both bless and be blessed.  Amen.

Thursday Devotional - Timely Peace

After the devastation of Jesus’ death and the confusion over the empty tomb, the disciples were timely visited and comforted by Jesus.  

John 20:19-22         ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came and provided peace and joy to His devastated disciples! He not only physically appeared, but did so miraculously! He also graciously showed them the proof of His death. Then, He commissioned and empowered them to continue the difficult work He had started.  

Jesus came and gave me peace after devastation and before facing additional difficulties, too. The evening I found out I was going to miscarry (after 13 weeks of pregnancy) I was devastated. When I woke up in the middle of the night with contractions 2 minutes apart, God had me eventually get out of bed and go to the bathroom. My water broke on the toilet and then everything happened. As devastated as I was, I felt like God was holding my hand during the whole thing, starting with the fact that He had my water break not only at home, but on the toilet! I had peace knowing He was there. His peace brought encouragement as I faced the physically and emotionally painful hours, weeks, months and years that followed.

How have you witnessed God bringing peace and joy after devastation? What encouragement and strength did it give you to persevere through the next difficult challenge?

Alice