A Faith Like Job’s!
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.”
Job 19:25
This morning’s devotional verse comes from the story of Job in the Old Testament. Job was a faithful and upright fellow. In fact, he was so righteous that the Lord would brag about Job to the angels. Satan happened to hear the Lord’s praise of Job and suggested to the Lord that Job was only righteous because he was so successful. Satan asked for permission to test Job by bringing tragedy upon him. This resulted in Job losing his family, his home, and his possessions. Yet, Job still refused to reject the Lord. Thus, Satan proposed that Job would be shaken if he were personally afflicted. Job then was beset with a horrible skin disease. At that point even Job’s wife suggested Job should be angry at the Lord.
The story continues as Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come to “comfort” him. They too question Job’s continuing faithfulness in the face of the disasters that have befallen him. The dialogue between these four ebbs and flows for many chapters. The verse quoted above are the words of Job as he begins to be worn down by his friend’s logic. Even now though, he doggedly claims that his “Redeemer” exists and that Job will one day view the Lord.
Eventually Job does give in to the cynical cries of his friends and openly questions the Lord about his circumstances. The Lord rebukes Job and finally Job admits that the Lord is all powerful and Job has no right to question either the good or the bad events in his life. Eventually Job is restored to good health and prosperity once again.
I imagine most of us have had times where we have questioned the Lord’s care for us when we face difficult times. Illness, loneliness, grief, along with so many other issues we face as humans can challenge our ability to remain faithful. After all, even an incredibly righteous man like Job faced a crisis in faith. The message in the story of Job can be found in the way in which Job’ loss of belief was not the end of the story. If we have times when our faith seems to be hard for us to access, we must remember that the Lord will not turn away from us. May we remember the faithfulness of Job in those times when we struggle so that we might to find redemption!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
November 5, 2025
I Wonder!
“Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”
Proverbs 16:19
This morning’s verse for Proverbs Wednesday is a bit of head scratcher for me. I understand the larger concept here, it is better to be humble than to be haughty, but there are still several questions that come to mind. First, the idea of being lowly in spirit. When the author of this Proverb, thought to be King Solomon, mentions spirit, does he mean faith? Or is he speaking about the human emotion of pride or even self-worth? Another factor is the viewpoint of the author himself. If King Soloman did author this, what does he know about being oppressed? He is a king and a descendant of kings, I seriously doubt he has ever been oppressed in his life.
If we were to look at the larger context of the verses around this one, we will find that this section deals with pride versus humility. Verse 18 reads, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” So, with those words in mind, it seems that the spirit that is referred to here is not faith but instead is about self-worth. A person who thinks too highly of themselves is going to be taken down a notch at some point. It is wiser to think consider yourself humbly so as not to let your pridefulness trip you up.
With that message in mind, the admonition against sharing in the plunder of the proud makes more sense. There are several other verses in Proverbs that address this concept through different references. An example of that can be found in Proverbs 20:17, “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.” Essentially the message here is that, while it may seem tempting to take advantage of the oppressed, eventually you will have to face the consequences.
So, it seems the message here is not so muddy as I originally imagined. The Lord expects us to live humbly, act ethically, and be respectful of each other. We may watch as the prideful share in the plunder derived from their behavior, but the Lord will most assuredly dispense justice at the time of judgement, In the meantime, may it be enough for us to seek to glorify the Lord through our words, thoughts, and actions on this day!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
November 4, 2025
Deadly Letters?
“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2 Corinthians 3:6
One for the more consistent themes that we find in Paul’s writings is how the Hebrew Law has been rendered unnecessary, even harmful, by the new covenant established through Jesus. In the above verse, when Paul writes of “the letter” he is speaking of the Hebrew Law which is based upon the commandments that Moses received from the Lord.
Paul’s message here is that the Law is restrictive, it does not encourage a closer relationship between individuals and the Lord. Thus, at least from Paul’s perspective, the Law stifles the individual. In contrast to that, the Spirit, which is a by-produce of the new covenant ushered in by Christ, frees believers from the yoke of the Law. This allows them to minister to each other and share the gift of the Spirit.
As I read these words this morning, I was struck by how infrequently I give the Holy Spirit credit for what happens in my life and the world. I go along each day, striving to check things off my to-do list. Is that list a modern-day version of the letter that could kill? Should I spend less time checking off boxes and more time seeking to heed the whisperings of the Spirit? Might I achieve more if I focused less on accomplishments and more on the experience? Perhaps, the ministry of the Spirit is also the path to fulfillment. Let us seek to be more cognizant of the Spirit and less mindful of the letter, whatever form that letter takes in our lives!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
November 3, 2025
Compassion Overcomes Good Judgment?
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
Luke 15:4
If anyone ever questions Jesus’ heart of compassion, I will point them to this parable. Jesus poses this question in response to Pharisees muttering amongst themselves about Jesus’ choice of dinner companions. Jesus had supped with tax collectors and other assorted “sinners.” Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees’ muttering was to share with them the parable of the lost sheep. In this parable Jesus obviously lets compassion rule over common sense.
He endorses the actions of a sheep owner who leaves his flock in open country as he searches for one sheep that wandered off. This does not make sense to me. The ninety-nine sheep are defenseless while the shepherd is off looking for the missing one. He could lose a significant amount of the flock while he is not around. Anyone who ever watched a Looney Tunes cartoon knows this is a bad scenario unless you have a couple of good sheep dogs handy to stand watch.
With all foolishness aside, Jesus is using the absurd to make an appropriate point about the kingdom of God. Every person is of equal value in the eyes of the Lord. Not only would the Lord search for a soul that is lost to sin, but the Lord would rejoice when that person is saved. Also, all the other sheep, righteous or not, are expected to celebrate the reclamation of the sinner. Whenever there is a chance to reclaim even one wandering person, the Lord would expect us to cast aside reason, to accept the challenge, and help to seek them out and celebrate their salvation. May it be so for us today!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
October 29, 2025
Is It Really That Simple?
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Proverbs 16:3
The title for this morning’s devotional encapsulates my thoughts about this verse from Proverbs. The author of this verse, thought to have been King Solomon, states that if one commits their actions to the Lord, they will succeed. How simple! Why did not I think of that? So, if I plan on driving down Route 28 today between Higgins Crowell and Neptune Lane, and I commit to the Lord fully, I will not drive into a ditch or get arrested, right? Well, maybe not!
Perhaps it is I who is being too simplistic. It seems there need to be several factors that must be in place for this Proverb to achieve a full meaning for us. First is the idea of committing to the Lord. Exactly how does one fully commit to the Lord? Does the success of the plan we have benefit anyone except ourselves? Yes, it would be convenient for me to be able to drive, unfettered, down Route 28, but how does my desire for convenience trump the need of the workers to accomplish their tasks?
A possible answer to this question about committing to the Lord can be found in the Lord committing to us. If our plan is aimed at benefitting others beyond ourselves, the Lord is probably more likely to be equally committed. Also, we need to take into account that the result generated by the commitment of the Lord may not always mirror our desired outcome.
In the end, perhaps this Proverb really is that simple. If our plans are the benefit of the greater good, not just for us or our friends, they have a better chance of being fruitful. They may not always be successful exactly as we envisioned, but perhaps the outcome will be greater than what we imagined. At the base of all of this is our need to commit all our efforts to the Lord as much as we can. Once that is done, all that we must do is trust in the Lord, and we will have fulfilled our duties as a member of the Body of Christ!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck