When we think about Christmas, what comes to mind? For me, I remember being taken by the hand by my older sister, Dolores, to see the lights in Jacob's shop window.

The year was 1952 and I was four years of age. I can remember that evening as being dusky and windy. We ran along the narrow footpath precariously, being blown about by a steady wind. Finally, (about 5 houses along) we reached the magical shop window. I remember staring at the lights as if mesmerised for what may have been a long time or a few minutes. It was an awesome moment in my young life.

Being very good girls we had to go home after our viewing. My sister was super careful to be obedient, so I reluctantly left the sparkling window.

It was Christmas. Our dad was not around as he had gone by ship to UK earlier in the year, seeking work. Our family consisted of Mum and four children. Two were younger than I was. But, nothing could prevent me from feeling very excited by those brilliant lights.

Everything that happened seemed so exciting. We saw baby Jesus at the church stable and of course that was just a little doll. Santa also managed to light our fire upstairs in the front bedroom (two bedrooms were both at the front anyway). Santa locked the door and left the key, clever man. Inside the upper room were two little strollers, one for each of the two oldest children, my sister and me. Unfortunately Santa forgot to leave us a dolly to put in there, so I became the baby in the stroller, which I dearly hated as I considered myself a "big girl" because I had a little brother and sister. But, my sister and our friend next door (they owned a shop) used to  play "Housey" with me being the baby. I remember the anger I felt even now!  I also remember a black cat with a red ribbon coming into our house, which was good luck, but bad luck if it turned up within certain days of Christmas. (It was a hoax by a fun neighbour) I remember that we were all laughing when we found out, but I still had suspicions about bad luck, whatever that might be for a four year old. 

Christmastime can bring people to a different place, such as bad memories and loved ones who strayed or are gone from this world. As we get older we amass more sad memories and experience more sad days of tragedy and sorrow.

But, God, in His Wisdom, sent his son as a helpless baby to come to our planet. Indeed Jesus was and is an alien who does not belong here in the human sense, yet he was prepared to let go of his own glory in Heaven to become a baby. A child who was destined to die a cruel death on the cross at Calvary. We all know this story and still marvel at what happened, bad  and good.

Jesus Christ (anointed Saviour) is still the one waiting to bring the light of life to everyone who calls on His name. Jesus claims mount up to declare Himself as God, (My Lord and my God) said doubting Thomas. Jesus sits on the right hand of the Throne, always alive to make intercession (like a court witness) for people down on planet earth. Jesus himself said, "I am the light of the world".

Light is very attractive to those who have known only darkness. People are sometimes seen as "lights" in the world. My mother was a light for us kids. She had to cope with four little ones on her own for two and a half years, which must have seemed an eternity. During that period of time, I came to love Jesus the little baby and often imagined Jesus standing in his crib in heaven looking down at me at night when we said "Our Prayers" which Mum taught us.

My journey with Jesus Christ, my Teacher, my Friend, my Saviour, Redeemer and my God, began at Christmas after I saw the lights in Jacob's shop window in a humble town called Leixlip.

I began my new "life"  in 1983 when I turned to Jesus for salvation from sin and death and condemnation.  He has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."

He waits for you. He is coming back.

"Pixabay" picture thank you.

Image by reblbug Pixabay

Mark 8:34 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."

Chapter 8 of Mark gives us insights into how Jesus was training his disciples in various situations.

Jesus feeds the hungry followers (4,000 people). 

This was in the region of the Ten  Cities of Scythopolis (Beisan), Hippos (Susiyeh), Gadara (Umm Qeis), Pella (Fahil), Philadelphia (`Amman), Gerasa (Jerash), Dion (Adun?), Canatha (Qanawat), Damascus and Raphan. (Biblehub Bible map: Decapolis, exerpt.)

You can see why there was such a big crowd that were also hungry for bread and the Word of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus then headed across the sea of Galilee in a boat. (8:10)

This is in the region of Dalmanutha, (Magdala) West side of the Sea of Galilee.

At this point the Pharisees (Jewish Sect) came to challenge Jesus.

Jesus warned them about the Pharisees "leaven" but they could not fathom the meaning. (8:16)

Next, them came to Bethsaida and he healed a blind man. (North of Sea of Galilee)

Then Jesus and his disciples went around the cities of Philippi in Ceasearea, during which trek he questioned his disciples about who he was. (8:29 -30)

He then told them that he must suffer many things and be rejected by the leaders of the Jews. He told them he would be killed and would rise again on the third day.

After a sound protest by Peter, who was severely rebuked by Jesus, who called Peter "Satan" Jesus called the crowd and disciples closer.

Jesus told the disciples and the crowd the obligation to Himself in making a decision to "Follow Jesus".

In a nutshell, Jesus said to those who decide to follow him. "You you must take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow me." (Read verses 34 - 38)

If we view this lesson in a whole, it is clear that to follow Jesus is not simply having a picnic or watching miracles happen, it is a continual journey over the hills and dales of life. You will need to carry your own "cross" as directed by Jesus all the way to the end of your life's journey. For Jesus it was "Death by crucifixion."

For you it can be anything that is difficult but very personal. You must carry the burden as permitted by Jesus to the end of your journey of life, unless he gives you a different burden, but it seems that we will always have to "pick up our cross" to follow Jesus.

When we think of our own individual "burden" "Cross" (heavy and hard to do) we can remind ourselves that Apostle Paul had eye problems, Peter kept making mistakes, Thomas was a doubter.

Recently I saw a message on quora to a person suffering from Bipolar disorder who was thinking of "stopping his/her medication". The advice was to carry the burden of taking medication as it was helping the sufferer to feel well and to cope with life. My friend has a similar disorder and often times we see Christians telling folk to "stop taking their medication" because they are "healed", however, this passage from Jesus tells us to "Do the hard thing" "Pick it up" and follow after him. So, if you have prescribed medication, pick it up, drink it down and get on with your day, following Jesus across the thorny pathways of life along with the picnic days and the days of wine and roses and love. 

Pic from Pixabay.com thanks so much.  (May they be blessed)

Population explosion has been halted somewhat by Covid19.

These days are testing times for everyone.

How do you escape this dilemma?

Where is the boat of rescue?

The subject of Theodicy is covered in the volume, Christianity, the Complete Guide pp 444. The conclusion of theologists from 47 - 1759 AD was that if God is bigger than evil, then evil must not exist, therefore God does not exist. We know that Evil is no illusion!

 I am shocked by the discussions that clearly miss the mark by a good mile! Any devoted Christian who reads their Bible regularly knows that evil began at the beginning.

We look back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve resided for a time, until they fell into temptation and sinned, causing a whole tumble in their world.

However, we need to take a deeper look into the origin of evil. When God created in the six days according to Genesis, it says, "It was good".

God created a garden East of Eden, where He put the man. This now turns a corner. At this point the Lord gives a warning to Adam to not eat of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, for he would surely die. (Gen 2:15)

So, the word evil appears right there just when man was being given his first lease! Remember, Eve was not yet created if we take this as being the first moment of mankind. Adam still had to name all the animals before Eve was finally created.

If we read Ezekiel 28, we will find the original source of evil. This is depicted by the King of Tyre, but refers back to the Garden of God and the Mount of God.

We can now put the pieces of the puzzle of evil together. This beautiful creature, adorned with jewels and perfect in every way, was in the Garden of Eden, Guardian of the Garden, beautiful in every way, on the day it was created. Evil was found in this beautiful creature. This appears to be a heavenly place where there will be an eternal garden of God, the real garden with its depiction in Eden where Adam and Eve lived. How do we know this?

The next verse (17) the creature was thrown from Heaven to earth. We know from elsewhere that Lucifer is the name of this creature, who was created before mankind and who was a giant of his kind, fearless and beautiful, but who became too proud and was therefore thrown out of heaven.

Similarly, Adam and Eve were thrown out of their garden, tempted by this creature in the guise of a serpent, who obviously plotted against his creator to take the heart of the first human being on earth.

We know that the garden of Eden was buried during the flood.

Evil was something that came out against God, the Creator of all living things. Because of this aspect of God, human beings, made in the image of God, must also battle against evil and conquer it.

Jesus said, when he taught his disciples how to pray. "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

When I read these great classical pieces I see enormous problems and would venture to call it "disinformation".

(Information designed to lead people astray)

Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." (not somebody else)

Virus and Evil:

We all know that this virus is evil, designed to kill and maim people, and the cure is the vaccine, prepared by scientists who care. They may or may not know God, but they are already created in the image of God, therefore have God's likness and God gives us a way of escaping evil if we take care to notice. Every medic, nurse, doctor or assistant carer has the spirit of God inside to do good for people at any cost, even their own lives. They too are just like God, sending his beloved, only son, Jesus, to die for our sins. "He gave me power to give my life and to take it up again." (Jesus said) So, being buried, he rose from the dead locked tomb with the rock at its mouth.

God does have all the answers. We just need to ask Him and we will find out.

Thanks to Pixabay, Johnhain, for good pic.

9/11 stories permeate the TV bringing us to recall that fatal moment 20 years ago. I remember I went to attend classes at BCQ College, Toowong, Brisbane,  when the news erupted. At first people were saying that over 30,000 people were inside the tower. At the end of the day the truth was known. Yesterday a memorial was carried out for the almost 3,000 victims of this horrible crime.

In the midst of the trauma there were decisions made that did nothing to save the people. Other decisions were made that saved possibly many more souls. Aeroplanes were missing and tragedy unfolded minute by minute as innocent travellers and good hearted people commuted or attended their office to commence their day.

No matter how we look at this moment in time, we are all shocked, aghast at the impertinence of a handful of thugs who decided to end their own lives and also to end the lives of others. As President Bush said, "They had the same foul spirit." Nothing could be closer to the truth of this matter.

What does Jesus say about such an event? He says,

"Blessed are those who mourne, for they shall be comforted."

If we study the life of Jesus we can see that this is a very meaningful statement by the Son of God. When we listen to the survivors and family, friends of those who were murdered on that day, we see the love of God in every heart of each person who read out the names of those who perished in the terror attack. They have mourned for 20 years. The day I saw the vision on TV instead of having a Theological study class shall ever be etched in my mind. I mourned from that day to this day for those who lost their lives on that fateful day. Despite the fact that I did not know anyone personally, I feel the horror and therefore the grief and torment of soul for every person who was struck down before their time on that day. There were around ten Australians murdered, and that is terrible. No matter where they had come from, they had found their place in the most successful city of the world, New York, where everyone has a second chance, and in other parts of America, the Home of the Free.

When I read the commentaries on the words of Jesus in the beatitudes (Matthew 5) these words of Jesus come through loud and clear.

Although I know that many in Israel were in mourning at that time because of the occupation of the Romans and their severity on the people, I now turn your attention to an even more relevant fact about what Jesus may have been thinking at that moment.

Do you remember when the Apostles and disciples mourned? They mourned for Jesus.

Jesus was crucified and buried and left in a tomb guarded by soldiers and a huge stone?

We know that at Easter we recall that moment when Jesus died and rose again!

Blessed are those who mourne, for they shall be comforted. Jesus Christ rose from the dead! This fact was attested to by many people who lived in Jerusalem and Galilee at the time. Over 500 at one time saw Jesus.

His disciples had a meal with Jesus. Two disciples walked with Jesus and then he disappeared.

All of those who were cut off from their earthly destiny will be there with Jesus on the Day of Judgement. Jesus defeated death, which is the "Last Enemy" and shall be destroyed on the final Judgement.

Were the disciples comforted? Yes, very much so. Would you not be? Almost every person who read out the names of those who died on 9/11 indicated that they would see their loved one one day.

They are right. Blessed are those who mourne, for they shall be comforted. Just like Jesus' disciples, they shall meet their loved ones on that Day.

They shall rise once again and be reunited with their loving families and with their creator, Jesus Christ.

They shall be truly comforted and elated.

I hope you will be there with the blessed.

Was this Jesus' hidden meaning of this beatitude? It is for me and families of the tragedy of 9/11

R.I.P. my brother, Liam, who was murdered in London at age 49. He would have turned 72 today. Hope to see you in Heaven Liam Rafferty.

Pic thanks to Pixabay

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life."

Today I baked bread with my new bread maker! (Thanks  ©Breville). Not joking, it was super delicious! Hubby ate 3 huge slices (half the loaf) and was satisfied.

Of course, Jesus says, "Man cannot live by bread alone...but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God..."

That is something we must listen to in these pandemic and tragic days.

Every day brings with it news of horror and vice, mainly of men and beasts.

How can we survive this pandemic? We keep hearing "Get vaccinated" every day from the premiers and medics.

After talking with my dear friend, Mary, who is the most ardent Christian in the world, we found a new answer for everyone who is looking for answers.

"This is the cure" These were her words. I take these as prophetic and compelling.

Having a good memory and read the Bible many times over, I recall a time in the wilderness when the people turned angrily against God. They wanted bread. "There is no bread," they cried. (Numbers 20:5)

The Lord, with his amicable humour sent them snakes that bit and many died. (Numbers 20:6)

A solution for the following carnage that happened in the wilderness was a bronze snake and Moses placed it on a pole. When those afflicted by the snakes looked at the bronze snake, they lived.  Later they turned this into an idol and it was destroyed by King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4)

Jesus referred to this incident in John 3:14 regarding faith in his work.

The cure for hunger is bread. (Especially home made fresh and hot!)

The cure for the pandemic is the vaccine!

(This was our inspiration, thanks Mary).

It is sent from God, not a poison, but a cure! Not a cure for the pandemic but a cure for the destruction of all the peoples in the world. Just like the Bible, we should get vaccinated and thank God for this privilege, and then go and eat hot, fresh bread. (Learn how to make it)

The cure for our sin(s) is Jesus Christ, who hung on the "Pole" until dead, thus satisfying the requisites of God Himself.

Thanks Jesus! You did it all in one day and rose again in three days. Who could ask for more? Can you?

Thanks to Marie for pic.

Proverbs 27: 1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring

Song of Songs: 14 ...Show me your face. Let me hear your voice.

Song of Songs: 16...My lover is mine and I am his...

In these terrifying days when we do not know what will happen next, we will be wise to take the advice of King Solomon, the author of the Book of Proverbs and the Song of Songs.

Solomon was a very wise king who had wisdom above all of his peers, including the Queen of Sheba, who found him magnificent.

Solomon was also a man of means, with wealth above any before or after him. He had over 1,000 wives and concubines, yet few children considering all these women, waiting for his kind touch for one night.

Solomon did love one woman, and she is depicted in the Song of Songs. He was the most famous Bachelor in history, with as many women as he wanted, yet he was not satisfied. This one woman enchanted him and she gave him a run for his money. She also fell in love with him and gave her heart away.

She was not a famous person but a humble worker from a vineyard, yet she took the king by storm and he adored her.

King Solomon was a depiction for the Kingdom of Heaven, and through the genes from the people of Israel, the true king was born, Jesus Christ. There are many passages and writings about this in the Bible, and we would do well to consider God's call on our love.

Like King Solomon, he chose one woman, a beautiful black haired female as his chosen one to lavish his love upon her.

The Lord Jesus Christ is now seated in the highest place, far above every principality and power. Jesus is searching through the Spirit on earth for that one soul he wants to join him.

In some way the story of the Bachelor Australia is similar to what Jesus is looking out for. Someone who will give him her undying love for all eternity.

In the same way, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, is lonely, like a bachelor, and waiting for you today.

Why not give Him your heart. You are made in His image and Heaven will not be the same without you. There is a place set for you at the banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb and it will be the best celebration ever, with love flowing freely over all who are present.

Before you make your plans for tomorrow, speak to the Lord through your lips and heart. The Lord will welcome you and you will find love everlasting.

Picture courtesy of Pixabay.com Thank you. What a splendid place this is.

Marie

Genesis 3:22

And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and life forever."

Adam and Eve are on the cusp of changes. Their world has collapsed and they must make decisions they never knew they should.

First of all, did they know the consequences of their earlier action? (Eating of the forbidden fruit) It would appear that they were very aware of their transgression (sin) and wanted to cover it up quickly before God had wind of it (2nd sin). They used grape vine leaves to create a skirt that covered their nakedness to some extent.

So, they quickly adapted to their new "status" of being aware of evil. They made bad decisions one after the other.

This teaches us about jumping on the "sin" train. You jump on when you should not. Then you need to hide because you have done this wrong. Next, you try to hide from the conductor collecting the tickets. Once confronted, you again try to wriggle your way out of the mess.

How many of us have done this in our own lives?

BEING BITTEN BY THE SNAKE I remember that I accidentally stood on some doggie doo. We were being cared for by our neighbour, Mrs Connor. We all sat at her kitchen table and had a drink and some bread. She noticed a "smell" and asked "Who has brought in doggie doo?" (not exact words). I knew instantly that it was me, but I kept my shoes on my feet under the table and ducked my head to hide the truth.  In that instance I was relieved to go out her back door and run home quickly. I escaped her wrath by the skin of my teeth.  I never told anyone about that, but scraped my shoes in the grass before I went into my own home across the way.

In Adam and Eve's case, they had done worse than my doggie doo incident, they had blatantly disobeyed the Lord's orders, and then tried to cover it up. They had a snake bite and could not find a cure.

Their punishment was swift and severe. They lost their paradise. They lost their standing with the Lord God. He was their friend and now their foe. Barriers were created instantly, not the least the one of a Cherubim and a flaming sword turning in all directions. They could no longer eat from the tree and rest under its branches, dreaming of its nourishment. Now they would need to actually "work" for their food, their living, especially Adam, the man. Eve would suffer in childbirth more than before the transgression. The ground was also cursed by God. So, thorns and thistles would grow instead of beautiful things. 

What can we learn from this record today?

1. Hide from sin, run from the temptations of the devil, not from God.

2. Listen to the Lord's instructions to our hearts.

3. Look ahead and see if danger is coming your way and do something practical about it.

4. Note that the Lord said, "As one of US", therefore God is plural and in agreement with his personalities.

We know that God has revealed his Spirit, His Son, Jesus, and His Fatherly figure.  This was a unanimous decision, worked through for its outcomes.

We know that when we are unsure about our decisions, we should consult with other like minded folk who are rational and who care about our future.

5. Another note here, sometimes we get insights as to destiny, so we should talk to the Lord about that. For instance, those who made plans to leave Afghanistan are now safer than those who were busy and not aware of what was going on.  Discussion is the key here. We all should discuss our thoughts with someone who cares about us and find our pathway before it is too late. 

6. The snake was also punished by the Lord, destined to eat dust for the rest of its life. It was cursed for facilitating Lucifer in his evil quest to confound humans with lies. 

Knowing all these things can help us to be wise in our choices as we work our way through troubled times on the earth. I pray that you will find your way through by the spirit of the Lord into a safe place.

What a year of lockdowns! There seems to be no end to our troubles here in Australia and around the globe. Fires rage in Europe, hurricanes in Japan, deaths in Indonesia and the usual murders and crashes everywhere.

What is God doing about all this? You may ask. "Nothing," you may reply. It seems that troubles are here to stay for a long time.

But, who is really in control and who is causing these troubles?

We can all look around and see troubles and troubled people in our own backyards, streets, states and countries.

But, all is not lost, I assure you. I want to look at the life of a great king who totally trusted in the Lord of Heaven (Jesus Christ unknown then as the Lord)

King David. Not only was he a just king, he was a very brave young man in his day, defeating wild animals for the sake of his charges, sheep.

He was the youngest of his family and so the gopher for them. We always think of the firstborn being the most valuable to society and family. But, David breaks every mould we make. He was from a "poor" family. He was not thought of as a great kid. He did not win medals at any olympics, but did show his stuff in his youth.

But, his life was not easy and the most outstanding characteristic he owned was that "He had a heart after God's own heart."

David was anointed king by Samuel, yet he remained in hiding from the resident king Saul for years, narrowly avoiding death at every turn from Saul.

In the meantime, his love for psalms and poetry also sharpened. He played the harp as well as the slingshot and the big sword. He was adept at whatever he chose to do.

He was a man we would like to have on our side. Faithful to the end, he even lamented the death of his greatest friend and his opposition king, Saul and prince Jonathan.

Reading through the Psalms is very therapeutic and helpful in these Covid crazy days. You will find loads of history, theology, and cries for help within the Psalms of David.

Read Psalms 109 - 119 and you will find encouragement to keep going forward.

David was indeed a Son of God. Jesus is the actual Son of God. We all can be given this title as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ. (John's Gospel Chapter 1)

In Psalm 110, David brings up the great priest, Melchizedek, the priest who met with Abraham way back in Genesis.

David says: The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion (Israel) You will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on the day of battle.

Arrayed in Holy Majesty from the womb of the dawn, you will receive the dew of your youth.

(5) The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

In the psalm David has experienced all of these events and recorded them for someone else when he speaks in the third person.

Jesus Christ quoted these verses (Mark 12:35 - 37)

They apply very strongly to Jesus Christ and his ongoing battle for his own sheep. Jesus will rule in the midst of enemies. David ruled over Israel whilst being attacked by even his own son (Absalom) who desired his throne. 

Life was a continuous battle for King David. He barely had a moment's peace, and then he made a serious mistake (Bathsheba incident).

But, he was the friend of  God and a man "after God's own heart" as regards to justice, righteousness and prayer.

King David is a great example for every believer who does his or her best and fails at times.

Now we see the wrath of God descending upon this world and the people do not know where to look.

But this psalm holds a secret: the Lord is not finished his ruling from Heaven. The last verse (7) tells us that the King, in the middle of this battle, takes a break for a drink from the brook, then lifts up his head once again.

Wait for the next chapter in the life of King David and his Lord, Jesus Christ.

Have a rest in Christ and drink with him. Remember what Jesus has achieved for you and me. Turn and praise the Lord as much as you can.

Picture countesy of Holy Pictures of Jesus website. Thank you and God bless your generosity.

JOB:

All over the world we see disasters arising. Not just the Covid pandemic but new strains of the virus alongside bush fires, storms, disastrous buildings falling over.

How can we survive this year, this day, this time?

Job has lots of good answers that we might glean wisdom from.

He is the ultimate disaster survivor.

First of all, he was under the pump of God.

He was being tested.

Messengers came one by one, each with a new disaster to report. His farm animals were stolen. His farmers were dead. His sheep were stolen. His shepherds were dead.

His children, enjoying a celebration, were killed by a violent wind like a hurricane or twister. The house collapsed and all were dead. One servant in each case came to bring the bad news.

Next, Job became ill with boils on his skin.

He is in a state of serious depression when we meet him. He wants to die, and questions why he is still living.

Of course, he does not know that this was the deal made by the Lord and the enemy of God, Satan. He could not take his life, but everything else could be taken away.

Now, it is interesting to see how his friends came in a hurry to give him some advice.  (lip service)

They were all sure that they had the answer and had made many assumptions about Job from their long lives of experience.

Eliphaz ultimately insinuates that Job is not old enough to know what he knows. His family of wise men learned from their fathers before foreigners entered their habitat.

He gives his argument from the time perspective. In other words, Job has not lived long enough to know as much as he, the guru Eliphaz.  (Job 15:17-19) He even insinuates that Job is wicked.

Job does take the bait frome each argument, but continually pleads for God to intervene.

Even as maggots come from his wounds, he looks to the Almighty for relief and help. He never asks these "fake helpers" for their assistance.

In Chapter 3, there is a clue as to why Job actually knew this disaster might happen. (3:25, 26)

"What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. I have no peace, ...only trouble comes."

What about you and me? We see this pandemic is still raging across the globe, taking its victims in its path, like an unseen tornado or twister seeking whom it may destroy. We are not too far from the position in which we find Job in these pages, written hundreds of years ago, long before Jesus Christ came to live and die for Job, for you and for me.

We can look back into this man's life, who was living righteously in his community. He was always worried about how his children behaved and so we do the same. We worry what God will do about the problems they cause others, or what troubles will arrive in the next season.

For some people, ignoring everything and getting on with their lives is their answer. They serve God or do their tasks diligently, ignoring the flames around them, walking quietly through the storms and flood.

For others, they sit and fret a lot. They worry about this and that and listen carefully to the news and obey diligently as they are able. Their sleep is disturbed and they long for that bright day when they can get back to their work again, and do those things they always loved to do.

For others, like Job, they simply want to lie down and die, or be taken into a spiritual realm where troubles are far away from them.

Interestingly there are three friends with different opinions visiting Job. 

Eliphaz simply gets on with his life. He feels a good dose of self-righteousness and concludes that Job is simply being corrected by God because of his dream, where he was challenged.  He just gets on with his life, carrying this dream in his soul and feels fine. He also brings in the word "we" to demonstrate his class distinction and abundant knowledge. (5:27)

Bildad makes the point of looking back to his previous generation and concludes that his integrity is intact because he believed that God will not help the wicked to do evil. (8:20) He literally believes that Job has simply forgotten God and is clinging to his riches for his life.

Zophar the third "friend" indicates his belief that Job is simply wicked and the only solution is death. (11:20) Not only is Job considered wicked, but he will also soon be blind according to Zophar, who may be a physician by profession. (13:4b)

In each case, the visitor has judged Job wrongly.

How many times do we judge correctly? Without knowing the facts?

Are we like Zophar, judging others and condemning them?

Are we like Bildad always looking back to the past for answers. (We do need to learn from our past)

Or, are we more connected to Eliphaz and ignore everything around us as we do what we have to do without thinking too much. "Must dust"

How many of us are more like Job, who wonders what is going on? Why are all these disasters happening?  When is the next disaster about to happen?

Looking for answers from God?

God does indeed have all the answers and we can simply ask God about it all. Jesus said, "Ask me anything and I will do it."

And many more words of encouragement for us to hear.

Although Job has been declared innocent, he is also flawed in his own nature because he is a human being. He worried about what might happen and it happened as he thought it would. He expected a disaster and lots of disasters came to his life.

He argued brutally with God about his innocence, but he forgot that he was also a sinner like his friends and needed redemption.

If he had spoken to his children about their wild ways would that have changed the course of his history? In a way, this was a destiny for him because it was simply so.

In the end he did lose a lot, his home, family (except his wife), servants, and even his friends. But, God proved faithful, good and compassionate to him. God restored his worldly goods and of course, his sins were sealed and forgiven by Jesus on the cross. His hope was the grave, but we know that Jesus defeated the grave and death.

Let us all look to the Lord of Heaven in these trying times and see what God has in store for our future, whether here on earth or through the veil of death.

Where God lives, there is life abundant.  (John 14:6 )

New Living Translation: 2007

Tyndall House Publishers, Inc, Illinois.