Thursday's Thoughts- Job

Let's take some time today to observe a man that represents what we should act like as Christians. His name is Job and you can read his full story in the Old Testament but I'll give you a brief overview.
The book of Job opens up to a scene from God's court. The sons of God had come to present themselves and among them was Satan. God couldn't help but boast about his number one servant Job. Satan laughed and pointed out that, like all men, Job would only love God as long as his life was good. Does this sound like a challenge to you because it did to God. He promptly gave Satan permission to do whatever he wished to Job as long as he did not harm him.
Job was considered rich in those days because he had livestock. In Job 1:13-19, Satan strikes and Job loses everything including all of his animals and children. The only things left in his world were his house and his wife, yet he didn't respond the way most people would. In fact, his response is truly baffling but also something we should take note of.

Job underwent so much loss in one day and yet his gut reaction was to praise God. So often when we go through trials we are so concentrated on how unfair it is that we forget that we are always supposed to praise God.
Of course Satan was not happy with Job's response. He went to God and said, "He may be praising you now but if you let him get sick, he will curse you to your face." To prove that his servant truly loved him, God gave Satan permission to make Job sick but not to kill him. In chapter 2 Satan covers Job from head to toe in boils. Then, for good measure, he sent Job's wife to tempt him.

Job's wife had also lost everything and she reacted in the way that most people in her situation would. All ten of her beloved children were dead and she had to sit by while her diseased husband continued to praise a God who she believed had abandoned them all together.

Unlike his wife, Job hadn't given up on God. In verse 10 he points out something that all Christians should take heed to. We can't expect life to be all sunshine and roses just because we God is our father. Sometimes he sends trials to teach us lessons and we should praise Him for it.

Here come Job's main tempters. These three play a big part in Job's spiritual growth throughout the book. Pay close attention and you will learn a lesson in peer pressure and how to deal with it.
 For the next thirty-eight chapters of the book they try endlessly to draw Job away from worshiping and believing in God. Some friends huh? With God's help, Job refused them time after time. Take note because throughout our whole lives we experience peer pressure from others who want us to follow them and not God. Like Job, we can choose to stay faithful to our Lord.
In chapter 42, Job did what every Christian should do when temptations come- he prayed. God heard him and caused his friends to pay for what they'd said and done. Then, He healed Job and restored to him twice as much as he had before.

Job is proof that if you stay faithful to God through the bad times then He will supply your needs plus a little extra. The devil is always trying to get us to join him but God gives us the power to overcome. 

Remember that any time you struggle God is the answer.