September 1
Job 40:1-42:17 | PS 45:1-17 | Prov 22:14 | 2 Cor 5:11-21
As long as we view our obstacles as something that we can navigate through and overpower we will lean on ourselves, our strength, rather than turn to God. Our society is, from a human standpoint, out of control. Evil has been unleashed everywhere. Those in power and seemingly in control globally have unleashed a stream of godlessness which is impossible for any person to stand against. Immorality is lifted up, while morality, according to God's standards, are demeaned and ridiculed. The law has been perverted. Criminals don't even hide what they are doing, and when caught go away unpunished. Law abiding citizens have lost their voice and influence. Schools no longer protect, but push forth radical and dangerous ideologies. The list could go on and on, and everyone in the family of God would probably list many of the same things. But God! When we confront things personally or globally beyond what we can fight against, then we are finally in a position to seek God to do the seemingly impossible. For what is impossible for us, is more than possible for God.
I don't believe it was an accident that God left Leviathan for last in His questioning of Job. This entity is described as a dragon, and Job would have had first hand knowledge understanding what this creature was. It was created in a way that humans could not possibly overpower it. In fact, only God could overpower it. This led Job to the beautiful conclusion of his time of suffering in Job 42:5-6, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." Repentance is where Job and for that matter each and every one of us must turn to. When compared against a holy God, we simply can't stand. We rid ourselves of pride and self-righteousness and turn to Him for everything.
We read in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Once we have repented and accepted Jesus Christ, as it says in 5:17, we are now a "new creation". We are His ambassadors. We wear the righteousness of Christ, having traded in the weakness of our own self-righteousness. Whatever confronts us: personal sins, habits, difficult relationships, things occurring on the world stage, may seem insurmountable. But when we turn to God rather than our own strength, we find comfort and strength in Him, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: