by David Scott Robertson
Job 42:16-17 (CEV) – “Job lived another one hundred forty years – long enough to see his great-grandchildren have children of their own – and when he died, he was very old.”
In my devotions this morning,
I was finishing up my study of the book of Job.
You probably know the story of a man who,
Apart from the Messiah Himself,
Probably suffered from sustained physical pain than anyone else in the Bible.
What so strongly thumped me on my head during my study
Was not the fact that God was able to say to the devil,
“Have you noticed my servant, Job?” (Job 1:8)
(Can you imagine God saying that about you or me?
“Have you noticed my servant, David Robertson?”
“Have you noticed my servant, [your name]?”
But that’s another story.)
Another interesting aspect of this passage
Is that nobody,
Not Job,
Or his four “comforters”,
Ever seems to make the connection that
Maybe, perhaps, possibly
God was testing Job?
Could it be that the Judge of all the Earth
Was doing that which was right in His sight
And had a specific purpose for Job’s suffering?
But that too is another story.
But if I were a preacher,
I would preach on Job 42:16-17.
Job 42:16-17 (CEV) – “Job lived another one hundred forty years – long enough to see his great-grandchildren have children of their own – and when he died, he was very old.”
Do you see it?
Job was in a bad spot.
No doubt he was in the roughest, toughest predicament of his entire life.
The physical pain he endured was incomprehensible.
He lost it all, humanly speaking.
The pain of the death of a single child is without comparison,
But to lose all your kids at once transcends tragedy.
All his vast wealth evaporated.
And to top it off,
His theology was being challenged at why this was all happening.
And then we read Job’s response about his struggle to understand the situation.
He thought his life was over.
Or at least it should be over.
“Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?” (Job 3;11 NIV)
But that’s when the God of a second chance happened to stop by in a storm!
Never forget “the God factor”!
When Jehovah God Himself is on your side,
There is hope!
Never count the man or woman of God out of the game!
When the counsel of men is to “throw in the towel”
Or “curse God and die” (Job 2:9)
Don’t do it!
It’s not over…yet!
Although God is rarely early,
He is never late!
Everything He does is just and fair and right.
He truly is an “on-time God!”
When man can’t
Like a wonderful gospel singer, the Spirit proclaims, “God can!”
Job 42:12-13 (CEV) “The Lord now blessed Job more than ever; he gave him fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pair of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. In addition to seven sons, Job had three daughters.”
Here’s the point
And if you can receive it…
Here is the encouragement that I believe Jesus wants you to get out of this note:
If you are experiencing technical difficulties with life…
If you are in the throes of divorce and think it’s all over…
If your company just “reorganized” and you didn’t make the cut…
If your doctor just told you about a problem you have that begins with the letter “C”…
If your report card stinks…
If your relationships are strained…
If your finances are a joke…
If your ministry isn’t bearing the fruit that you had hoped for…
If a thousand other minor, intermediate and mega-serious problems have surface in your life…
The answer today is
It’s not over.. yet!
Don’t attempt a permanent solution to a temporary problem!
You would be astonished at what God can do in 24 hours!
You can be in the ambulance one day
And shopping in Wal-Mart the next!
You can have 3 IV’s in you one night
And be on the treadmill at the YMCA by the next weekend.
You can be alone one day
And meet your future spouse the next (not realizing it could be her or him).
You can be in prison one day
And be the Prime Minister of a great nation the next, just like Joseph!
Hey, it happens
Because God is always up to something for our good (Romans 8:28).
I believe God delights in
Contradicting the bad reports, forecasts and prophecies of unregenerate mankind
To bless and honor and exalt His children in due season!
I’ll betcha that God gets a kick
Out of breaking the Devil’s assignments,
His conspiracies,
His false prophecies,
His negative, pessimistic bad report against us.
Hold on to your integrity (Job 2:3)
And trust in the Lord to bring about your deliverance and He will do it!
Remember, it’s not over… yet!
DSR
8/30/99
Monday, August 30, 1999
Wednesday, August 25, 1999
A Christian Pledge of Allegiance
by David Scott Robertson
I pledge allegiance
To the flag,
Of the United States of America,
And to the Republic
For which it stands,
One nation
Under God…
Under the only true and living God,
The Creator of Heaven and Earth.
The God and Father
Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
The God who sent His only begotten Son
To die on the cross of Calvary for humankind’s sin.
The God who willingly left the portals of glory
To be born of a virgin,
Live a sinless life,
And die a vicarious, substitutionary and atoning death,
To reconcile a sin-cursed world with a loving Heavenly Father.
The God who promised to send His Holy Spirit,
To set up a kingdom in our hearts and lives
And baptize us with the Holy Spirit to endue us with power from on high to witness.
The God who is returning soon
To rapture away those who are ready for His appearing;
The righteous God who will one day
Judge both the living and the dead,
The saved and the lost,
And resurrect the blood-bought to everlasting life
And the ungodly to everlasting damnation.
One nation,
Under this God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.
DSR
8/25/99
I pledge allegiance
To the flag,
Of the United States of America,
And to the Republic
For which it stands,
One nation
Under God…
Under the only true and living God,
The Creator of Heaven and Earth.
The God and Father
Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
The God who sent His only begotten Son
To die on the cross of Calvary for humankind’s sin.
The God who willingly left the portals of glory
To be born of a virgin,
Live a sinless life,
And die a vicarious, substitutionary and atoning death,
To reconcile a sin-cursed world with a loving Heavenly Father.
The God who promised to send His Holy Spirit,
To set up a kingdom in our hearts and lives
And baptize us with the Holy Spirit to endue us with power from on high to witness.
The God who is returning soon
To rapture away those who are ready for His appearing;
The righteous God who will one day
Judge both the living and the dead,
The saved and the lost,
And resurrect the blood-bought to everlasting life
And the ungodly to everlasting damnation.
One nation,
Under this God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.
DSR
8/25/99
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Be Faithful to Your Spouse
by David Scott Robertson
I love the Word of God.
It cuts to the chase.
It lays its ax at the root of your problem.
It does not mince words, it is the Word.
Take infidelity, for example –
A sin so tragic
That the full ramifications cannot be comprehended.
But “The Answer Book,”
God’s Holy Word,
The Scriptures which cannot be broken,
Will address the issue in no-nonsense terms
To both help prevent it from happening
And offer the antidote to those who have fallen prey.
Proverbs 5:7-8 speaks to those who may have been tempted but have not fallen
Into this sin against their own body.
“My son, LISTEN to me
And DO everything I say.
STAY AWAY from a bad woman!
DON’T EVEN GO NEAR the door of her house.” (CEV, emphasis added)
These 2 verses,
Written in plain English,
About half an inch tall on the page of the Bible
Can save a lifetime of regret and grief.
First, we must be willing to LISTEN to our mentors (v.7).
Wisdom is often found in the experience of others.
We can learn from others who have suffered.
We can observe and see what has happened to the unfortunate person
Who has dabbled in this forbidden activity.
Secondly, we must be willing to DO what is right (v.7).
Knowing what’s right and doing what’s right
Has been a point of great controversy for many souls.
The action verb “do” must take effect to protect us from destruction.
Martin Luther King was once quoted as saying,
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
Next, we must be willing to STAY AWAY from a bad person (v.8).
If you are a married man,
Don’t go to lunch with a woman who is not your wife.
Whenever possible,
Don’t be in a room with the door closed with a woman who is not your wife.
Don’t ride in the car with a woman who is not your wife.
Don’t go play tennis with a woman who is not your wife.
Don’t [fill in the blank] with a woman who is not your wife.
The same goes for married ladies.
Give the Devil a foothold and he’ll shoot for a stronghold.
Finally, DON’T EVEN GO NEAR THE DOOR OF HER HOUSE (v.8).
Use common sense to avoid every appearance of evil.
Apply the “Joseph Strategy” for staying out of sexual impurity.
“And though she [Potipher’s wife] spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” (Genesis 39:10 NIV)
Don’t even go near the door of the house of a potential problem relationship.
Don’t even go sit at the workstation of a person who might tempt you.
Don’t go to the beach if you struggle with lust and can’t handle the bikinis.
Don’t go to the video store if the video jackets give you a problem.
Don’t stare at the tabloids and magazines at the Wal-Mart checkout lane
If it causes you to stumble with awkward fantasies.
Don’t channel-surf if you linger too long on inappropriate images.
Don’t allow the blessing of the Internet to be a curse on your thought-life.
The Bible frankly and in brutal honesty lists some of the results of infidelity: -
“You will lose your self-respect and end up in debt to some cruel person for the rest of your life.” (Proverbs 5:9)
“Strangers will get your money and everything else you have worked for.” (5:10)
“When it’s all over, your body will waste away, as you grown (5:11)
and shout, ‘I hated advice and correction! (5:12)
‘I paid no attention to my teachers, (5:13)
‘And now I am disgraced in front of everyone.’” (5:14)
Man of God,
Woman of God:
LISTEN TO GOD,
DO EVERYTHING THE HOLY SPIRIT SAYS!
STAY AWAY from evil companions that corrupt good morals.
DON’T EVEN GO NEAR THE DOOR of those who might cause you to sin sexually.
Ask God to help you love your spouse as Christ loves the Church
And gave Himself for her.
With man this is impossible,
But with God all things are possible.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The antidote to infidelity is of course the cross of Jesus Christ.
The “pound of cure” was the nails pounded into divine hands and feet
That caused the lifeblood of the Son of God to die.
If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Chris the Righteous (1 John 2:1).
His blood can erase the condemnation of sexual impurity,
Restore the years the locusts have eaten,
And do a new things in a person’s life who has morally failed.
What consequences you must live with
As a result of infidelity are in the Lord’s hands.
The best advice I can give
Is to go to the best advice ever given
And that is found in the pages of the Bible.
Discover for yourself in “Life’s Owner’s Manual”
How to operate your life in accordance with god’s perfect plan for your life
Then you will enjoy a great marriage,
Great parenting,
Great ministry,
And the abundant life that Jesus died that we might obtain (John 10:10).
DSR
8/11/99
I love the Word of God.
It cuts to the chase.
It lays its ax at the root of your problem.
It does not mince words, it is the Word.
Take infidelity, for example –
A sin so tragic
That the full ramifications cannot be comprehended.
But “The Answer Book,”
God’s Holy Word,
The Scriptures which cannot be broken,
Will address the issue in no-nonsense terms
To both help prevent it from happening
And offer the antidote to those who have fallen prey.
Proverbs 5:7-8 speaks to those who may have been tempted but have not fallen
Into this sin against their own body.
“My son, LISTEN to me
And DO everything I say.
STAY AWAY from a bad woman!
DON’T EVEN GO NEAR the door of her house.” (CEV, emphasis added)
These 2 verses,
Written in plain English,
About half an inch tall on the page of the Bible
Can save a lifetime of regret and grief.
First, we must be willing to LISTEN to our mentors (v.7).
Wisdom is often found in the experience of others.
We can learn from others who have suffered.
We can observe and see what has happened to the unfortunate person
Who has dabbled in this forbidden activity.
Secondly, we must be willing to DO what is right (v.7).
Knowing what’s right and doing what’s right
Has been a point of great controversy for many souls.
The action verb “do” must take effect to protect us from destruction.
Martin Luther King was once quoted as saying,
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
Next, we must be willing to STAY AWAY from a bad person (v.8).
If you are a married man,
Don’t go to lunch with a woman who is not your wife.
Whenever possible,
Don’t be in a room with the door closed with a woman who is not your wife.
Don’t ride in the car with a woman who is not your wife.
Don’t go play tennis with a woman who is not your wife.
Don’t [fill in the blank] with a woman who is not your wife.
The same goes for married ladies.
Give the Devil a foothold and he’ll shoot for a stronghold.
Finally, DON’T EVEN GO NEAR THE DOOR OF HER HOUSE (v.8).
Use common sense to avoid every appearance of evil.
Apply the “Joseph Strategy” for staying out of sexual impurity.
“And though she [Potipher’s wife] spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” (Genesis 39:10 NIV)
Don’t even go near the door of the house of a potential problem relationship.
Don’t even go sit at the workstation of a person who might tempt you.
Don’t go to the beach if you struggle with lust and can’t handle the bikinis.
Don’t go to the video store if the video jackets give you a problem.
Don’t stare at the tabloids and magazines at the Wal-Mart checkout lane
If it causes you to stumble with awkward fantasies.
Don’t channel-surf if you linger too long on inappropriate images.
Don’t allow the blessing of the Internet to be a curse on your thought-life.
The Bible frankly and in brutal honesty lists some of the results of infidelity: -
“You will lose your self-respect and end up in debt to some cruel person for the rest of your life.” (Proverbs 5:9)
“Strangers will get your money and everything else you have worked for.” (5:10)
“When it’s all over, your body will waste away, as you grown (5:11)
and shout, ‘I hated advice and correction! (5:12)
‘I paid no attention to my teachers, (5:13)
‘And now I am disgraced in front of everyone.’” (5:14)
Man of God,
Woman of God:
LISTEN TO GOD,
DO EVERYTHING THE HOLY SPIRIT SAYS!
STAY AWAY from evil companions that corrupt good morals.
DON’T EVEN GO NEAR THE DOOR of those who might cause you to sin sexually.
Ask God to help you love your spouse as Christ loves the Church
And gave Himself for her.
With man this is impossible,
But with God all things are possible.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The antidote to infidelity is of course the cross of Jesus Christ.
The “pound of cure” was the nails pounded into divine hands and feet
That caused the lifeblood of the Son of God to die.
If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Chris the Righteous (1 John 2:1).
His blood can erase the condemnation of sexual impurity,
Restore the years the locusts have eaten,
And do a new things in a person’s life who has morally failed.
What consequences you must live with
As a result of infidelity are in the Lord’s hands.
The best advice I can give
Is to go to the best advice ever given
And that is found in the pages of the Bible.
Discover for yourself in “Life’s Owner’s Manual”
How to operate your life in accordance with god’s perfect plan for your life
Then you will enjoy a great marriage,
Great parenting,
Great ministry,
And the abundant life that Jesus died that we might obtain (John 10:10).
DSR
8/11/99
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