Daily
Bible Study for Wednesday June 15, 2016
By: Hanny
Lynn Stearns
Fish
– N – Loaves Ministries
Multiplying
God’s Word around the Globe!
Chapter Reading for Today: Please read in your Bible before proceeding. Note that most
translations are considered paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation
provides a more accurate translation since he is the one who authored a
concordance. Others are helpful for seeing a different perspective, but we
cannot always depend on their wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you
are studying in another version, that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but
for the purpose of this study, I will keep it with the New King James Version. One final note: I will put the
scripture in italics to differentiate from my own writing. I am adding red to the letters when it is Jesus talking – just
like the Bible. Thank you.
All scripture is taken from
the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.
Bible
Gateway Verse of the Day
Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Song:
Everyday By:
Hillsong
Job
33 Job – A
Man of Endurance
Bringing
Light to Others
This is so exciting
today that I am like Elihu in yesterday’s chapter – ready to burst like new
wine bottles! Oh the Lord is so good to the sons of men! Give praise to His
name saints! What He has shown me this morning I am so eager to share with you.
It has been glorious. He is a good God! He is a God of love – not destruction.
He cares for all of us so very much. How many just don’t get that? Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father;
Thank You for being
so good to us. You have given us Your word, Jesus, Your Spirit, and each other
to bring light and help to our lives – especially when we struggle. Father, I
ask You to speak and think through my mind and fingers today and bring forth
Your word, unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. May Your
exact message to us today be what is conveyed – nothing more and nothing less.
And we give You all the glory – all the honor and all the praise in Jesus name!
Amen.
Elihu is preparing to talk some sense into Job with God’s
help and leading. That’s what a minister of the gospel does. They encourage
people by being a mouthpiece for the Lord to encourage people to turn from sin
to God and discover the true light of life – Jesus – the Light of the world!
Hallelujah! When we have received the Light, we can share that light with
others. We cannot give away what we ourselves have not received. But thanks be
to God that when we get delivered, He will use us to deliver others from the
snares of the enemy and certain death – praise His name forever.
Elihu opens this session by telling Job that he was going to
speak to him honestly and sincerely. He was going to speak the truth in love to
the man Job. And that’s exactly what the Bible tells us to do…
Ephesians 4:11-16
And He
Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed
to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of
men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up
in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit
together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by
which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of
itself in love.
Elihu certainly had a position in the Lord and he
stepped right into it by going to speak some sense into Job – didn’t he? That’s
what we are all supposed to do saints. According to the calling the Lord gives
us and the gifts He distributes to each of us, we are to go out and be a light
to others who are struggling. Elihu was kind to Job. He told him that he would
be easy on him. Helping others should never be condemning or harsh in any way.
We should always approach a counseling session in a spirit of gentleness and
love. We may have to be firm about something, but that firmness still needs to
come from a place of love. Elihu was setting the stage for the conversation that
would ensue.
If Job had anything to say this would be his time
to speak up. What we see in verse 6 is that Elihu was relating to Job on an
even playing field. He did not make himself out to be anything better to Job.
He said he was a man made by God just like Job was. This is an important point
saints. When we are reaching out to help someone who is going through a trial,
it is important for us to find common ground with them. When that person feels
like they can relate to us, then it opens the door for further communication
and correction if necessary. Putting ourselves above others only shuts the door
and makes them want to run in the other direction. We are never to do that.
The next thing Elihu did was tell Job what he had
heard him say. This was what is called ‘laying the ground work’. Job had said
that he was innocent. He also said that God was counting him as His enemy. Job
had accused God of being the one who had put him in the bondage he was now in.
Elihu heard it all and he states it to get the conversation going. He is making
his case for the discussion so that his purpose will be clear to Job. We need
to do the same when talking with people in a tough situation. Elihu didn’t
ramble on and on about Job’s faults. He got straight to the point and brought
out the major highlights that needed to be addressed. That was the right way to
go about it.
Elihu got right to the point of correction in
verse 12. He told Job that what he said was not right. And he would explain
why. The first thing that Elihu did was to remind Job that God is superior to
man. After all, how can a mere man contend with God – or strive against the
Almighty? What foolishness. The Lord is not accountable to any man. He is holy
and perfect and owes us no explanations about anything. God is way bigger than
we mere mortals. Elihu wanted to bring this into perspective as the conversation
began. And how many of us need to be reminded of how big and wise our God
really is? When we really think about it our mouths become shut real quickly. Who
are we compared to Him, really? Sometimes we may think we know all that, but our
behavior requires many of us need to be reminded of this truth frequently.
In verse 14 we are reminded that God speaks
alright, even over and over again. But do people listen? Hmmmm…. That’s worth
thinking about, isn’t it? Of course.
What God really does is speak to people in all
kinds of ways trying to get their attention. No one can say they didn’t know
because the Lord makes it obvious. He will even speak to us through visions and
dreams in the night. I have had several dreams where I knew by Holy Spirit
revelation that God was speaking to me. Some of the dreams have been about my
calling and future while others have been warnings about my behavior. I knew
that the Lord was showing me something and I needed to listen! The reason He
does this saints is because He is good. He wants to pull us from the certain
destruction that He sees us walking into. What if you saw someone who was blind
walking toward the edge of a cliff that was a 200 foot drop to the ground?
Would you not want to run and grab them and pull them to safety? That’s what
God does with us. And more so!
I remember when I was planning to leave my
husband. I was making plans to quit my really good job and move out and get my
own place. I thought I had found a new man and I would just take the girls to
live with me and everything would be great. I was such a fool! During those
weeks the Lord sent people across my path to try to talk sense into me. And
some were even people in my workplace. They told me to wait. They said to move
out if I had to but not to rush into this relationship with this man I had met.
They had given me great advice, but I had not listened. Looking back now I can
see very clearly the many ways the Lord was trying to stop me from making the
biggest mistake of my life.
But I was hard headed. I wanted what I wanted and
would not heed the good advice I was receiving. Over the period of not too many
days I began to see my life completely crumble right before my eyes. Everything
was turning sour. My kids wouldn’t speak to me. My husband was a complete mess.
Our family was distraught. The people at my work were shocked. The neighbors
were also very surprised at what they saw happening at our house. My friends
all turned their backs on me and as quick as you can snap a finger, the life I
had known as a mother, a wife and successful insurance agent in the workplace
all came crashing down around me.
But what would have happened if I had listened?
Things would have worked out so much better if I had stayed and prayed my way
through it and sought godly counsel from someone – anyone who would take the
time to talk some sense into me. The most important thing was, I needed to seek
God. His way would have been so much better.
Saints, your circumstances don’t have to be as
desperate as mine were back then to know you need help. There are all kinds of
trials and temptations that we face in this life – we know that for sure! But
there’s always help to get through them and around them successfully. We have a
mighty God who is able to pull us from the pit of destruction that we often
times throw our own stubborn selves into. And He sends us people that He will
speak through – just like He did with Elihu. He was sent to speak some sense
into Job. The fact is Job had rambled on long enough and was getting nowhere
with his approach. He needed help that only God could give. So here, finally,
in the fullness of time, God is stepping in. Hallelujah! We have all heard that the Lord chastens those
whom He loves – right? Well, sometimes that punishment will be quite severe. I
suppose it really depends on the severity of the situation – Father knows best
you know.
He may have to allow us to get full of boils and
misery from our head to our toe before He gets our attention. If this trial
with Job and others we have seen, including ourselves, doesn’t show us the
stubbornness of the human heart, I don’t know what will. In my trial, I ended
up with a severe case of Psoriasis. I had red bumps all over my body and it
looked terrible. It was probably similar in appearance to what Job had. It was
terrible, itchy and painful! I was ill and my blood pressure had gone very high
on multiple occasions. I felt like I was ready to have a heart attack at any
time. I went hungry and had to sleep in a homeless shelter. I was cold, sleeping
in a car and had nowhere to go to the bathroom.
I stayed in places that I would never have
considered stepping foot into before. I went through all this with that man I
left my husband for and it still took me a very long time to walk away from that
mess and be done with it. The Lord had to practically yell in my spirit one
day, “Enough!” And even after that it took a few more months to get loose of
the mess I had so willingly thrown myself into. All in all I was with that
person for 4 long and very dark years. It really was a living hell. Did God allow
me to suffer? You bet He did. Did He like it? Absolutely not with a capital “N”!
But why did He let me suffer so long, you ask? Because of free will – it’s just
that simple friends. We all get to make the choices for our lives each and
every moment. God will never take that privilege away from us. He created us to
have free will and as long as we exist on the planet we will continue to have
that choice.
All that talk about God being ‘in control’ that
we hear so many people – Christians and non-Christians alike saying is
nonsense. It is a lie and there is nothing in the Bible that can prove
otherwise – study it for yourself. So I stayed in my pit because even though I
wanted out and was in great despair, I kept trying to make that relationship
work even though it was never meant to be from the start. It had begum wrong
and God would never bless a relationship like that. I had to drop my pride –
trying to do things my way and surrender to His way. It was exactly what
happened in October of 2005. The day I surrendered many things changed. And it
still took me from that day until 7 ½ months later to walk away from that
relationship. And all the while the Lord was trying to speak to me and show me
the way out.
The Lord had sent Elihu to help Job see that if
he would repent and confess his sins, God would restore him. In fact, Job would
be restored so much so that he would have the skin of a new born babe. Now that’s
what I call restoration – hallelujah! What a promise God gives us. All we have
to do is come to the end of our prideful stubborn self and agree to do things
God’s way and everything will change for us. He is so good! I am a witness. I
can tell you that the minute I left that guy, everything started getting better
instantly! It was hard and at that time I was full of fear. I was afraid of
being alone. I was afraid of having no money or place of my own to live. I was
afraid of losing my daughters forever.
I didn’t have a clue what my future would look
like and that alone was terrifying to me. I was carrying around a ton of
baggage from my past and my ‘present’ was overflowing with additional baggage
already heaped up on top of the old things I needed help and deliverance from.
I was a candidate for grace. We all are!!!
When I came to Florida I placed my life in God’s
hands and asked Him to lead me every step of the way. And He did! All that
terrible darkness had started to become lighter and lighter. Each new day I saw
Him blessing my every move. It was like the sun was coming up and it was a new
day – finally! It was no longer “Ground Hog Day”, like the movie where the guy
got up and it was the same day over and over. I had chosen to follow God and
because of that one decision, He chose to deliver me from the darkness that had
surrounded me for so long. And talk about an Elihu; the Lord had sent me my ‘Elihu’
to help me pack it up and head south – as far away from the storm as I could
get. Florida is at the exact opposite end of the United States, and Naples is
just about as far south as you can go in Florida unless you want to travel down
into the islands of the Keys and Key West.
What a wonderful God He is. He is the God of
light. He started to shed light on my heart and life in ways I never could have
imagined. The restored career in insurance, a place of my own to live, restored
friendships and restoration with my children. He even gave me a new puppy. The
other one had died. God does all this because He loves us so much. Who do you
know that would give you all this grace if you had wronged them?
God speaks to us through His word, through His Spirit,
through visions and dreams, and through people – all this He does over and over
to get our attention. It’s as if He were standing right there over us saying, “Hey,
here I am. I love you so much. I want something so much better for you. Why won’t
you listen to Me? I have wonderful plans for your life. I can use you to bless
many others too. Just come to Me and confess your sins. I am quick to forgive”…
1 John 1:9
If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
The Lord never gives up on us –unless we give up hope. We can
always turn to Him. With God there is always hope, there is always forgiveness.
There is always light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train trying to
run you over. It’s Jesus. He is the Light of the world. He came to bring light
to our lives and help us to be used to bring light to others when they are in
trouble. That’s what God wants you and me to do. He wants to set us free so we
can be used to touch others. He gives us light and then we give it away. It’s a
glorious thing, isn’t it saints?
Elihu ends our chapter today by telling Job to
speak up if he had any defense for himself at this point. If not, he told him
to close his mouth and open his ears so Elihu could teach him some wisdom. Do
you suppose that is good advice for all of us when we have gotten ourselves
into a bind?
Questions:
What was Elihu sent
by God to do for Job?
How did Elihu
relate to Job?
What did Elihu say about God’s intentions toward him?
What did Elihu recommend for Job in order to be restored to right
standing with God?
What trial have you been facing that may require you to repent
before the Lord?
Acts 26:12-18
“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with
authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along
the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me
and those who journeyed with me.
And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice
speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me? It is hard
for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He
said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you
for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which
you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver
you from the Jewish people,
as well as from the
Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who
are sanctified by faith in Me.’
There are three main points to consider
from today’s study…
We must be kind and loving when counseling others
God will forgive and restore us when we turn to Him and repent
Since we have received the Light, we are to share it with others
Let’s pray…
Heavenly
Father,
Thank
You for never letting go of me even when I had given up on myself. Thank You
for all the help You sent to try to bring me back to You. Thank You for loving
me that much! Father, as You have helped me, I ask You to point me to others
whom I can be used by You to help out of a pit. Thank You in advance for sending
me just the right people. In Jesus name. Amen.
Some words
written by Tomas Kincaid in his edition of the New King James Bible – Thomas Nelson,
Inc.
This
is the point of life. To know our Creator. To glorify Him by enjoying Him –
forever. And to touch another life through our families, our neighbors, and in
every moment of life we celebrate. What a blessing we have as His children to
begin that road of understanding, even while we are here on this earth. I am
convinced that that is why God made the sunset red. And grass a million shades
of green. The sea in its vastness, and the precision detail in a child’s hand.
No matter where you look in creation, you see the wonder and majesty of the
Master Artist who designed it. And we get a tiny glimpse of the glory He has in
store for those who look to Him to lead them home.
Romans
12:9-21
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what
is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly
affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to
one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in
prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do
not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise
in your own opinion.
Repay
no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If
it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved,
do not avenge yourselves, but rather give
place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore
“If your enemy is
hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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