BE WARNED
Job 2, Luke 7:37-42

Job was a man of great integrity and richly blessed with wealth. The Word of God describes him as, “…Blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Gaining understanding of the character of Job at the beginning of his story makes it easier to read through the story of Job without taking a position of judging him to be a sinner. In this life, it is easier to take a position of a judge when tragedies like that of Job manifests in life. The beginning of Job’s story took away what could have granted us the sentencing of Job’s adversity to be the result of sin and iniquity that he must have committed. Job was a man testified of by the Creator Himself as a man of great integrity,  but the adversity presented a picture of someone who must have sinned somewhere unto God. If not for the description of Job’s integrity at the beginning there would have been all kinds of judgments passed on him. The Word of God strictly warns us to stay away from making judgment regardless of how bad the picture looks bad. Judgment is not ours. “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3) Concluding or assuming on others’ situation could be an indirect way of making a judgment on others’ in our heart. It is only God that knows the reason for every occurrence that is not clear in the physical and not for us to find out or take a position of a judge. Job’s situation was not clear to Job what was going on in the spiritual realm. All he knew about was his empire, wealth and all the blessings of God were collapsing. It was a difficult situation to pass through but an interesting one for a believer to read through. However, it is not a situation that any acclaimed believer wants to live or experience. The bottom line of this for every believer is to learn and know that in the midst of painful and agonizing challenges, it could be very wrong for anyone to conclude that the result of sin is being unfolded. Are you facing an unexplainable, disruptive challenge? It is not for you to judge yourself but to reflect on the goodness and mercy of God. Search in your heart if you have missed it somewhere or the other and let men make their judgment and be wrong. God is the only judge. Above all, remember that, “…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10)
Prayer for today: In this challenging time of mine, help me to be focus and obedient to your Word my Father and my God.