Bleurgh. I've felt rotten all day and really ought to have started this sooner but it's the weekend. Heck it's Friday night, we should all be out boogying! If only I had regular income... Onto business then
Today’s readings
Job 19:1-21:34
Matthew 21:1-17
Psalm 18:1-6
I'm typing this before I read it because I want to get my head into the right frame of mind. Do you ever bargain with God? I feel like at the moment all I ever keep doing is thinking, well if I do this or stop doing this then things might turn around. Then I come to the blog and read about Job and it just seems crazy to try and rationalise how you will be blessed or not blessed because God is a mystery and all we can rely on is that He loves us.
Anyway, we begin today with Job and really we're running out of things to say here! Job's first reply just builds on his anguish. Whilst I might be struggling for words, he doesn't seem to fail to come up with new and different ways that his life is falling to pieces. What's interesting though is that he is telling his friends this, not as a complaint or for them to appreciate his suffering (I suspect by now he's realised they're not going to be sympathetic regardless of what he tells them!) but as a warning for their own lives. Because Job knows one thing. That God might be having His way with him or He may not, but ultimately God will come to judge His people and his friends need to make sure they are as blameless as possible and focusing on themselves rather than Job. I did a bit of research and people were killing themselves as long ago as history records. It seems like Job could have found a way out if he'd wanted to but he never gave up. He realised that the goal and the prize was worth toughing it out for.
Zophar has a go again telling Job how the rich fall and how a decadent lifestyle takes you so far but ultimately ends in despair. Again, Job's friends attack him with generalisations rather than accusing him of anything that he has done. Guys, this whole book seems like a manual on how to help someone who is hurting. Don't generalise at them, don't talk at them. By all means give advice but base it on their situation not a similar one. I know I'm guilty of that and am being challenged each day we're with Job.
Job says it all in verse 2 of chapter 21. The Message has him asking his friend to listen to him three times in the same verse! Job makes it clear he isn't trying to argue with his friends as they seem to want to convince him that they are right, rather he is trying to get his closeness with God back by putting all of his worries and troubles in the open and onto God. Job also calls them out on their ideals that all wicked men are judged and suffer eventually by pointing to many men who do no such thing. Suffering isn't necessarily something we get our head round. Rather it's something we deal with on a case by case, knowing that we are secure in God's love and that He lives in the world and in us. I've been getting down sometimes recently thanks to kicking my heels and hoping for a job and it's times like that I have to pray and realise that God loves me. One day I'll see Him and until then He wants me to do something for Him or He'd take me away. That's what keeps me going!
Into the New Testament we promenade (Strictly's back. We're sticking with dancing verbs for a bit) and Jesus is preparing for the toughest time of His earthly life. We start with His entry into Jerusalem and I love the picture that the Message paints. There's just so much noise and joy that other people are caught up in the commotion and come out to see. I wonder if like me you have zero interest or knowledge of Rugby League? Probably not considering where we are but still, I prefer my rugby where you have enough people to have a proper game. But when Warrington won some cup or something last year it apparently was a big deal. I had no clue what was going on until I heard the parade outside my flat in town centre. Now I still had ZERO interest in Rugby League but went out to watch because it was an amazing spectacle. Now imagine if there was that sort of pull but when you got there, the reason people were celebrating actually mattered! And mattered in a life changing, WORLD changing way!! I love that Jesus got this one moment where He truly received the praise that He deserved whilst on Earth. Being fully human as He was, it must have really warmed His heart and prepared and strengthened Him for what was to follow. Now the fanfare seemed I believe that God will be there to strengthen us when we need it, possibly not materially, but spiritually and mentally if we wait on Him. We might reach the depths as Job did but if we stick to remembering God's love for us and not giving up following Him then we'll come through one way or another.
Next Jesus clears out the Temple and gets really angry with the whole process. So much so that the Message actually describes Him as stomping off because He's fed up that the so called men of God can't see the injustice nor the way people are excited about God. I'd worry if Hill Cliffe became this place were people were excited to go and the leadership started complaining to whoever started this nonsense off... What I also like is that it's the children leading the charge. It's your jobs guys! Jesus says so right here. Get involved with church, get excited for God and make His people see how amazing He is!
Finally we start a new Psalm and I'm only doing a bit don't panic. Firstly this is our first mega Psalm and it's not written by David but for him in a way. I'm not going to say too much about it because it's just really well written praise about how God loves, rescues and shelters our hearts. I think sometimes we think that what matters is our brains and our bodies but God cares about our soul and our heart. That sounds silly and unscientific but what I mean is that God wants the best for us yes but His top priority is our salvation and our ability to love other people. So when the Psalmist says that God makes him strong and is a castle for him to live in, he is not just referring to him being physically safe but also the fact that the grace of God and the rub that we get from being close to God lets us reflect his love to others and get peace for ourselves in the mad world we happen to be in.
And that's your lot. I want to call you little ones after watching Mike P's vlog. Glad he's back! Tomorrow I'm off to the cinema AGAIN and going to be shopping during the day so this will either go up before half five or.... this sort of time. Apologies in advance. Yesterday's song is here. Originally it was a Jackson 5 song I think but I prefer that version and the band name makes sense with yesterday's theme of wanting and wanting! Questions, criticisms and comments welcome as always
Jon
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