FIRMLY RESOLVED!
Job 2:7-10
7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Job 13:15
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Everyone is making New Year’s resolutions. Most of these involve losing the weight we packed on during the Christmas holidays. The average weight gain is said to be from five to seven pounds. More home exercise equipment is sold in January than at any other time. Job had other issues which required him to be resolute.
Firmness and determination is needed when the evidence is against belief in a good God. All around us is decay and collapse and our heart is tempted to “curse God and die.” That is when Job told his wife to simply go in the house and shut up because she was speaking foolishness. His reasoning was simply that God should not be defined by the circumstances in which we temporarily find ourselves. The argument is short and clear. “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”
This New Year has presented some of us with unique challenges that are hard to bear. The confetti, hats and horns lay strewn on the ground and the shouts of “Happy New Year” fade dully into silence. We are left with the nagging question: “Is God a good God or not?” The evidence seems not to support the hypothesis. Faith at these times shivers in the cold alone. This is when the “grit” reveals itself in the midst of the word “integrity.”
Are you resolved to follow God with the wind in your face? Will you, in the face of opposing circumstances, remain steadfast and loyal to a God whose actions you do not understand? Can you praise Him for who He is while suffering the pain of what He is currently allowing? This is the foundation of being resolute.
I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
Words and Music: unknown from India
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I'll not turn back, I'll not turn back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
I'll not turn back, I'll not turn back.
Dear Lord, though you seem to be acting in a way that is contrary to me, yet I will trust you until I understand your purposes. I am resolved to trust and follow you. I know your purposes toward me are good. AMEN
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