Women in the Word

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2/11/2016 10:25 pm  #81


Re: Job

LoriMI wrote:

Makes me wonder... Who is hurting that I am not hearing? Who is afflicted that I am not seeing?  Who is right in front of me?

Could it be someone I am close to - a family member or a friend?  Or could it be someone that I don't even really see as I go about my day -  a clerk at a store, a co-worker, a homeless man, a neighbor, the poor, the sick, an abused child or adult, or someone I simply pass on the sidewalk? 

Who am I guilty of not hearing?  Of not seeing?

Father, open my ears that I may hear the cries of people. Open my eyes that I may see their afflictions.  And open my heart that I may respond...with your love.

This really hits home as I had two situations were I really did not see how much someone was hurting. One time it was because I was too busy and too wrapped up with my own "issues."

The other time, there were legitimate reasons I backed off, I just did not know the appropriate and wise way to handle the situation and this person ended up dying a week after my last conversation with them where I backed off. I think about them all the time. I don't feel guilty because like I said there were appropriate reasons for me pulling back but I wished I had had the wisdom to do something other than nothing.

This is such a good reminder to stop and take time to pay attention to others and not just rush through life.

 

2/11/2016 10:26 pm  #82


Re: Job

Job 31
This chapter can act as a good check list for us to examine our hearts and behaviors.
 
31:1-2 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
 
Job values the eternal over a temporary desire.
 
31:7 if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
 
He walked consistently in God’s ways.
 
What we set our eyes on is what we lock onto and start going after. We should not look on and think on things that are not right.
 
31:13-15 "If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?
 
He treated his servants fairly and with dignity. We should treat people at all and any level of an organization with dignity and with equal access to justice as those more prominent individuals.
 
He understands that everyone has equal dignity because we were all made by God.
 
31:17 or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it (ESV)
31:17 if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless (NIV)
 
He lays down some pretty high standards here. He says he would not eat if there were those going without. That is a strong sense of compassion and self sacrifice. Obviously in North America it is not this straight forward and some go without food because they refuse to leave their sin. But this should certainly be a tug at our hearts to examine how we are helping the truly needy when we live with plenty and ease.
 
31:18 (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother's womb I guided the widow),
 
That is a big commitment. Not just that he occasionally reached out to some kid, but they grew up with him as if he was their father. That is sustained and intimate relationship. There are so many kids without involved Godly parents, how should each of us, not some program or someone else, but how should each of us reach out and step into the life of a hurting child?
 
He is basically representing in these verses through verse 23 that not helping others is an act of unrighteousness.
 
31:24-28 “If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
 
Job compares confidence in money and wealth instead of God to idolatry (worshipping the sun and moon). OK, do we have too much confidence in our financial stability? That is a hard one. Do we compromise on what is honorable or chicken out of what we should do because of financial considerations and so serve money more than God?
 
31:35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
 
Job’s frustration is finally boiling over. He is demanding that God answer him. We also sometime demand that God justify Himself to us when we get to the end of ourselves. I can’t wait to read when God finally does answer.
 
Prayer
Lord help me to value the eternal over the things of this world. Help me to desire one thing alone a that is to behold You in Your beauty and majesty. Help me to consistently walk in Your ways and to not look and run after things of the world. May my mind be disciplined to not think on things that are not honoring to You. May I desire what You desire. May I truly desire You before and above and instead of anything and everything else.
 
May I not give lip service to helping others and to pouring into the lives of kids but actively prioritize my life to create room and opportunities to minister to others.

     Thread Starter
 

2/12/2016 10:14 am  #83


Re: Job

TBG wrote:

Job 31
This chapter can act as a good check list for us to examine our hearts and behaviors.
 
31:1-2 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
 
Job values the eternal over a temporary desire.
 
31:7 if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
 
He walked consistently in God’s ways.
 
What we set our eyes on is what we lock onto and start going after. We should not look on and think on things that are not right.
 
31:13-15 "If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?
 
He treated his servants fairly and with dignity. We should treat people at all and any level of an organization with dignity and with equal access to justice as those more prominent individuals.
 
He understands that everyone has equal dignity because we were all made by God.
 
31:17 or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it (ESV)
31:17 if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless (NIV)
 
He lays down some pretty high standards here. He says he would not eat if there were those going without. That is a strong sense of compassion and self sacrifice. Obviously in North America it is not this straight forward and some go without food because they refuse to leave their sin. But this should certainly be a tug at our hearts to examine how we are helping the truly needy when we live with plenty and ease.
 
31:18 (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother's womb I guided the widow),
 
That is a big commitment. Not just that he occasionally reached out to some kid, but they grew up with him as if he was their father. That is sustained and intimate relationship. There are so many kids without involved Godly parents, how should each of us, not some program or someone else, but how should each of us reach out and step into the life of a hurting child?
 
He is basically representing in these verses through verse 23 that not helping others is an act of unrighteousness.
 
31:24-28 “If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
 
Job compares confidence in money and wealth instead of God to idolatry (worshipping the sun and moon). OK, do we have too much confidence in our financial stability? That is a hard one. Do we compromise on what is honorable or chicken out of what we should do because of financial considerations and so serve money more than God?
 
31:35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
 
Job’s frustration is finally boiling over. He is demanding that God answer him. We also sometime demand that God justify Himself to us when we get to the end of ourselves. I can’t wait to read when God finally does answer.
 
Prayer
Lord help me to value the eternal over the things of this world. Help me to desire one thing alone a that is to behold You in Your beauty and majesty. Help me to consistently walk in Your ways and to not look and run after things of the world. May my mind be disciplined to not think on things that are not honoring to You. May I desire what You desire. May I truly desire You before and above and instead of anything and everything else.
 
May I not give lip service to helping others and to pouring into the lives of kids but actively prioritize my life to create room and opportunities to minister to others.

Very good points  - it's heart examine time.

For me today, I wasn't struck by any particular verse, but instead just had an overall sadness for what Job was going through.  He just seemed baffled as to why all this was happening. He had done so much for others, even when it cost him.  As he reflected on his life, he just couldn't figure out what he did wrong.  He lost so much. He was very sick.  And he felt so alone.  Accused by his friends.  By what we can tell, even his wife was not there for him.  A man who feared God (1:8).  Yet in his cries to God, he felt unheard.   

Sorrow.  Grief.  Confusion. Hurt.  Sickness. Pain.  And alone.

He didn't yet know that it was because of the honorable way he lived his life that he was suffering.  He didn't yet know that it was because of the love that he had shown to others.  He didn't yet know it was because he feared God.  He didn't yet know it was because God loved him.  He didn't yet know it was because God was a pleased Father "bragging on" His son.  He didn't yet know that it was because God knew his love for Him wouldn't change.  He didn't know. So he hurt.

Oh, to be like Job...   where our Heavenly Father would "brag on" us - even if it hurts.

SO wanting to be pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22)...




 

 

2/14/2016 8:09 pm  #84


Re: Job

Week of February 15, 2016
This Week’s Reading Assignment

S.O.A.K. any verse of your choosing.
Don't forget to check the introduction on Mondays and the devotional on Friday at Good Morning Girls.

Monday
Reading: Job 32
Verse of the Day: Job 32:21
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Elihu waited until the elder friends of Job spoke before speaking. He chose to honor them in this way. Do you take time to listen to what your spiritual elders have to say before you speak?

Tuesday
Reading: Job 33
Verse of the Day: Job 33:26
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Elihu recognizes God's grace, mercy and mediation for those who have sinned. How have you experienced God's grace and mercy in your life?

Wednesday
Reading: Job 34-35
Verse of the Day: Job 34:12, Job 35:5
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Elihu spoke kindly and pointed to God, His character and His ways, while speaking to Job of his errors. When someone approaches you and points to God throughout their correction, how do you receive them?

Living through trials can cause us to say things we don't mean or that we regret later. How have you responded through the midst of the trials in your life? Do you have any regrets and what can you learn from them?

Thursday
Reading: Job 36
Verse of the Day: Job 36:5
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Often, our trials will not conclude until we've learned the lesson God has for us. Are you in a trial right now? What lesson is God teaching you through it?

Friday
Reading: Job 37
Verse of the Day: Job 37:5
Optional GMG Discussion Question: When we consider the wonders of God, we realize how truly insignificant we are without Him in our lives. How can you keep God first in your life to help you remain humble?

     Thread Starter
 

2/15/2016 11:55 am  #85


Re: Job

Job 32
 
32:7-9 I said, 'Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom. 'But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.
 
Elihu said he thought since the other men were older they would speak with wisdom. This reminds me of a phrase my mother always said. It was, “wisdom come with age, but sometime, age just shows up all by itself.” LOL
 
But Elihu rightly points out that it is not just age but it is God and that we should not despise the wisdom a young person if that wisdom comes from understanding of God.
 
Paul tells Timothy “let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)
 
32:18-19 For I am full of pent-up words, and the spirit within me urges me on. I am like a cask of wine without a vent, like a new wineskin ready to burst!
 
Elihu must be careful here, he implies in verses 7-9 that he is speaking in the wisdom of God. Job and his friends all thought they were speaking in God’s wisdom. We should very careful when claiming to speak for God.
 
When we feel we just have to say something, we should check our motives. Are we being controlling? Critical? Lacking self control? Is it really the Holy Spirit prompting us if so, for what purpose? God’s glory? The other person’s good?

     Thread Starter
 

2/15/2016 3:56 pm  #86


Re: Job

TBG wrote:

When we feel we just have to say something, we should check our motives. Are we being controlling? Critical? Lacking self control? Is it really the Holy Spirit prompting us if so, for what purpose? God’s glory? The other person’s good?

Excellent questions!


 

 

2/16/2016 11:39 am  #87


Re: Job

Job 32-33
Not sure what to think of these chapters....

Elihu comes out of nowhere.  It appears he has been there the whole time listening to the four men, though prior to this, Scripture made no note of him.   He is younger than all the others.  He is angry with Job and with the friends.  I can understand his anger with the friends because they did condemn Job without proof.  I can even somewhat understand his anger toward Job, but...

it seems to me that this “young whippersnapper” is dealing with a bit of pride.  19 times in 22 verses he used the word “I” (Chapter 32).   By the end of Chapter 33, he to the point of telling Job to hold his peace because he will teach Job wisdom.  He may be right, he may have wisdom to impart, but...

so far his method and words are just rubbing me the wrong way. 

I could be totally misunderstanding him, but his words are a good reminder to think carefully before speaking - especially when angry.  And also to be careful when trying to help others that I don’t lift up myself.
 
 

 

2/16/2016 5:37 pm  #88


Re: Job

LoriMI wrote:

Job 32-33
Not sure what to think of these chapters....

Elihu comes out of nowhere.  It appears he has been there the whole time listening to the four men, though prior to this, Scripture made no note of him.   He is younger than all the others.  He is angry with Job and with the friends.  I can understand his anger with the friends because they did condemn Job without proof.  I can even somewhat understand his anger toward Job, but...

it seems to me that this “young whippersnapper” is dealing with a bit of pride.  19 times in 22 verses he used the word “I” (Chapter 32).   By the end of Chapter 33, he to the point of telling Job to hold his peace because he will teach Job wisdom.  He may be right, he may have wisdom to impart, but...

so far his method and words are just rubbing me the wrong way. 

I could be totally misunderstanding him, but his words are a good reminder to think carefully before speaking - especially when angry.  And also to be careful when trying to help others that I don’t lift up myself.
 
 

OK, I felt the same way. I think he is making good points, but I just feel you have to be so careful about deciding that you have all the wisdom. And even if we are really sure that God is speaking through us with His wisdom, we should still be humble in how we share that and point to God, not ourselves.

     Thread Starter
 

2/16/2016 5:41 pm  #89


Re: Job

Job 33
9 ‘I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin. 10 Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy.

Job does seem to be implying that God is in the wrong with statements like this. However, he still never stopped trusting God and submitting to Him even when he thought He was in the wrong. That is amazing, Because when we think people in authority over us are in the wrong we want to not submit and obey them. We even do this with God, if we think God is wrong we want to push against Him and go our own way because we have decided what He is doing is not right. But, even if we don't understand why God would do something, still we must keep trusting and keep submitting.
 
13 Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words? 14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it.       
 
Elihu says that Job should not accuse God of being in the wrong and that God speaks and God does things in His own way and in His time.
 

     Thread Starter
 

2/16/2016 7:01 pm  #90


Re: Job

TBG wrote:

OK, I felt the same way. I think he is making good points, but I just feel you have to be so careful about deciding that you have all the wisdom. And even if we are really sure that God is speaking through us with His wisdom, we should still be humble in how we share that and point to God, not ourselves.

Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone . Love the part I highlighted in blue!
 

 

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