Spiritual Nuggets

To Ponder 051108

41. In his day, Job was the number one righteous person alive in the world. Even though he was such a bright spiritual light, his entire family was ungodly. We only have one time that his wife spoke and, sadly, she said to her greatly afflicted husband:

Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die! (Job 2:9)

Job’s children (7 sons and 3 daughters) were also ungodly as implied by Job’s godly concern that they might have cursed God in their hearts:

His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. (Job 1:4,5)

Job apparently thought they might sin in that manner.

Another similar case to Job was Samuel. Samuel was a very godly man, but both of his sons were ungodly, at least in his older age if not before too:

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. (1 Sam 8:1-3)

We don’t know anything about his wife.

42. As David was the one responsible for killing Uriah even though he didn’t personally administer the lethal blow, the Jews (and not the Romans) were responsible for killing Jesus, according to the apostles Paul and Peter:

For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. (1 Th 2:14-16)

We are witnesses of everything he [Jesus] did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. (Acts 10:39, 40)

43. The living and true God (1 Thess. 1:9) has many descriptions. Here are some you might never have noticed:

God of hope (Rom. 15:13).

God of peace (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; 1 Cor. 14:33; Phil. 4:9; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 13:20)

God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)

God of love and peace (2 Cor. 13:11)

God of all grace (1 Pet. 5:10)

God of heaven (Rev. 11:13; 16:11)

God of the spirits of the prophets (Rev. 22:6)

God of truth (Psa. 31:5; Isa. 65:16)

God of glory (Psa. 29:3)

God of gods (Psa. 136:2)

God of retribution (Jer. 51:56)

44. The believing wives of early church leaders traveled with their husbands as they served God together. This seems to have been somewhat commonplace back then:

Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas ? (1 Cor 9:5)

45. If you are seriously devoted to Christ, there will times of great joy and peace while there will also be great pain and trouble. Paul touched on this with these revealing words:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (1 Cor 15:19)

If you are a Christian, isn’t it wonderful to know this life is not all there is? We face a loooong eternity and there things will be vastly different and improved for the overcomers. Keep your eyes on the big picture (eternity).

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