Pastor Bob DuPar
August 31, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Job 37:1-39:30; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 22:13

Observation

God’s opening response to Job in 38:1-4 is enough to silence anyone who has an issue with God’s ways,

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said, ‘Who is this that darkens My counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you will answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell Me, if you understand.”

Job 39:9 sounds like an allusion to Jesus’ birth in the stable,

“Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture,

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

And 4:9-10,

“So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Application

Reading through the book of Job is a great reminder to me of how ridiculous it is for me to question God’s judgment and actions. I see things from such a limited (finite) perspective, and I am not privy to a fraction of the knowledge that God bases His decisions upon.

I focus way too much upon finite, temporal things, and not nearly enough upon eternal things (the world to come). True reality has to do with things eternal and not temporary things. I need to remember this. C. S. Lewis understood this principle, and as a result was inspired to call this world “shadow land” in his writings: “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance (reality) belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)

Prayer

“Lord, help me to base my reality upon You and not the voices of this world. Help me to choose Your absolute standard of righteousness rather than the subjective measuring sticks of those around me.”