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7/2/18 – Job 40:3-24, Job 41, Job 42 Matthew 25:14-46 Psalm 18:43-50

Job 42:12

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.

Job had given in. He’d wished himself dead. He’d despised his birth. But he did not now the blessings that were in store.

The trouble with reacting to things how they are NOW is that we don’t have the bigger picture. We can never see the light at the end of the tunnel. But God can.

Job prayed for his friends – those who’d added so much extra to his suffering. If he prayed for them, that implies he forgave them. He didn’t get stuck in the past – He didn’t get stuck thinking about getting even. He moved on.

He saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. The difficult time he went through, in hindsight was not a big part of his life.

We need to remember in those broken moments, those times where everything seems to be falling apart – that God is with us throughout it. That God is good throughout it. That God has ways beyond our ways. And even if we can’t see the end of it, He can.

Job didn’t know about the blessing to come. You don’t know the ways God can bless you in the future. When times get hard – hold on to God. Don’t let go.

Because He will never let go of you.

Matt 25:29

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

We can spend a lot of time concerning ourselves with what God has given us. Or more to the point with what He’s not given us.

Jesus isn’t concerned about that – everyone has been given gifts, talents, responsibilities and they are all different. It’s not about how much you have, but what you do with what you’ve got.

You are blessed. Have no doubt. If you go to bed each night with a roof over your head and clean water to drink and some food in your fridge, you are more blessed than 75% of the people in the world.

You are blessed to be a blessing. It’s not what you have – but what you do with it that matters. How much of who you are and what you have are invested into the work of God? What are yo doing with the blessings you have?

Matt 25:41

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Oh dear, Jesus is talking about Hell again. Doesn’t he know people nowadays don’t like that kind of talk…? It’s very judgemental. Not very Christian of Him at all.

I am of course, being sarcastic here – please don’t stone me. But Jesus is very clear here on some details of Hell.

There is a separation – those who enter into the Kingdom prepared before the foundation of the world, and those who do not.

To those who do not, it’s into the eternal fire – prepared for the devil and his angels. It wasn’t made for man – it wasn’t intended for man, but there are those who will end up there. For how long? Well Jesus uses the same word here twice to describe it – eternal. What does eternal mean? Well it’s unending. It’s not beef – it’s not fleeting. It’s forever.

Please don’t make compromises here on earth for fleeting satisfaction that can result in eternal punishment. It’s not worth it.

It’s not popular to take about hell. But Jesus did. Why? He does not want us to go there. If you don’t know Him – if you’ve not met the only one who can save you from that fate – today is not too late.

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