January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 24-28, Beginning of Wisdom. Unlike most of scripture, the only way to properly read Job is in its entirety. The Bible is amazing in many respects. One of those is that it encompasses a variety of literary styles. In telling Job’s story and capturing the dialog of Job and his three friends, we see descriptions of God and His character that are opinions and not hard facts. The mixture of truth, half-truth, and misunderstanding about God is combined in a way that emphasizes foundational truth about God and His ways, but only when we read the entire story. If you are like me, it has taken multiple reads to get to the point that I can see this and not get tied up in the warped theology espoused by Job’s friends and, to a degree, but Job.
When we get to Job 28:28 I cannot help but release a big sigh. In my mind I have been trying to parse out the truth versus misunderstanding in each person’s dialog. Even Job speaks at times with more emotion and less faith than I am comfortable with. As an engaged reader it is a mental and emotional roller-coaster. But then I read a verse that I can hang my hat on. ‘And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”’ I find this truth throughout scripture. I find this truth in evaluating the world on a macro level. And I have found this to be true in my 65 years on earth.
LORD, you are the source of all wisdom. When things don’t make sense, when evil seems to triumph, we know we can trust you and trust your heart. You have made all things – seen and unseen. You exist outside of time – the past, present, and future are all now to you. We bow to you, acknowledging our great limitations and your limitless nature. That out of all this, that you love us and desire what is best for us, we humbly, reverently, give you thanks and offer you our lives. It is in the mighty Name of Jesus that we pray,
Posted in Bible Study, God, Spiritual Growth, The Father, Trials, Vision, worldview, Worship | Tagged bible, Christianity, faith, faith building, god, Jesus, Transformation, truth | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 21-23, Arguing with God. It was freeing for me when I realized I didn’t need to act pious before God. As I grew in our relationship, recognizing that His love and forgiveness were way bigger than my sin and assorted stumbles in life, I became able to stop trying to be righteous. It made any perceived distance between us shrink and I began to understand what it meant to “walk with God”. And instead of striving and trying to act right against the current of the world, my fleshly desires, and the temptations of Satan, my heart and my mind became more desirous of pleasing my faithful Lord. Doing what brings joy to Him became my desire. Because I knew He loved me unconditionally AND knew all that I thought, it became totally fine to talk it out when I was unhappy, confused, angry or any other emotion that I had attempted to stuff when I was trying to act righteous.
I recognize this in Job today. He is ready to argue with God. We know He doesn’t have the whole picture and some of Job’s assumptions are not correct, but I am encouraged because He never loses faith in God. He may be ready to challenge God that He has made a mistake in punishing him, but He does not lose faith that God is there or that He will listen to Him. While very limited in the New Testament, lamentations are a common theme in the Old Testament. As many as 60 of the Psalms are considered lamentations and there is even one whole book that is a collection of distressed heart cries to God called Lamentations. Being honest with God, even if it is an argument we are going to lose, is the path to greater intimacy with the Lover of our soul.
Father, thank you, that we can be real with you. We do not need to hide how we feel. Beyond the fact that there is nothing we can hide, there is truly more mercy, grace, and love readily available to us, that we can only receive when we let down our guard and let you in. That you gently, lovingly, pursue us, encouraging us to open up, is truly a great gift. Even when we don’t fully understand what’s going on, we put our trust in you. You are faithful and true. Blessed be the Name of the LORD, our God! Amen!
Posted in Bible Study, God, job | Tagged bible, Christianity, faith, god, honesty, Jesus, spiritual growth, Transformation | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 17-20, My Redeemer Lives. Lately I have had this tremendous sense of gratitude that we live in a day and time when God’s progressive revelation of Himself has come so far. In the days of the Prophets, the understanding of God was limited to the Law and the mixed messages coming from true prophets and false prophets and priests. When the people were wandering in the wilderness, they had Moses and the stone tablets, but we saw how much weight that carried. That whole generation (except Joshua and Caleb) died because of their lack of faith. From Abraham to Moses, there was God’s promise to Abraham, but not a lot more to rest your faith on. So, for Job to proclaim this truth, years before God spoke to Abram (who became Abraham) in the midst of his great suffering, is a testament to his faith. And it is BIG faith statement.
I have this mental picture right now that won’t go away. I see a kitten hanging on the end of a rope. There is both terror and determination in the kitten’s eyes. The caption reads, “Hang in there, baby.” Job’s cry are the words the kitten is thinking as it dangles. And there is a reward as the rope is pulled up and rescue ensues. Our Redeemer does live and He is our Rescuer. Job may not be correct in saying his suffering is from God, but he is absolutely on target when he says My, and Our, Redeemer Lives.
Faithful Redeemer and Lord, we thank you that in all things and at all times we can trust you. Even when we are at the end of our rope, you are there. Psalm 139 comes to mind, you know me, you know us, and we are yours. Thank you for rescuing us, for sending Jesus to die that we might live. Thank you for redeeming us, purchasing us with a price far beyond our worth. We pause to let that sink in… You paid so much for us because you love us and you have good plans for us. Such knowledge is too wonderful, to amazing. But that is who you are… our wonderful, amazing, glorious Redeemer, Savior, and Lord! Amen!
Posted in Bible Study, God, job, Spiritual Growth, Trials, worldview, Worship | Tagged bible, Christianity, faith, god, hardship, Jesus, Trials, truth | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 14-16, Patience in Pain. As an engineer I see most things in a cause and effect paradigm. Having experienced God’s grace in many tangible ways, I fully count on His sovereignty to win the day and outcomes to be good, eventually. There are many Biblical promises such as Jeremiah 29:11 that point to this. God’s past actions and His present promises provide the framework for my belief that my current pain will be transformed into future blessing. Grief, suffering, and heartache are not to be denied, but they can be tempered and endured with the knowledge that the One who has been faithful will remain faithful.
I read the story in Acts 5 yesterday where the Apostles were beaten for preaching the Gospel. Their response to suffering the beating was rejoicing. How could they rejoice when their backs were bruised and bloodied? Because they were able to look beyond the pain to the wonderful work the Holy spirit was doing. They could see the kingdom of God growing. As I type, I get a glimpse of the millions of martyrs through the ages, and I realize that there has never been a tear shed or blood spilled by one of the Lord’s saints that hasn’t resulted in the kingdom expanding. What the enemy means for evil, God turns into good. That’s why we can have patience in the pain.
Father, we are so thankful that you walk with us through life, even carrying us when it gets overwhelming. Job’s friends could not see past their paradigm that had only an earthly cause and effect perspective. We know that you move in heaven and earth and sometimes we won’t see the great good you are doing until later… sometimes much later. We simply ask today that you will help us to grow in faith to exercise patience in the painful times. That includes not just our times of pain, but that of our friends, neighbors and people we meet. May your grace flow through us today. In Jesus’ Name.
Posted in Bible Study, God, job, Spiritual Growth, Trials, worldview, Worship | Tagged bible, Christianity, faith, faith building, god, hardship, Jesus, joy, Trials | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 10-13, Misfortune in Others. Jobs friend Zophar comes down pretty hard on Job in today’s reading. We know from the first chapter that God considered Job righteous and blameless, so we know Zophar’s characterization of Job’s suffering as punishment for his hidden sin is wrong. We’ll see this theme amped up as we continue to read. But this made me consider my response to people who experience misfortune. How much grace do I extend to those in dire circumstances? In many cases there is a direct correlation between a person’s bad choices and the negative results, but in many others there is not. In looking at Job in the past, I’ve almost always considered how I could handle the situation better if I where in Job’s shoes. Today, I’m prompted to look at Zophar and see how I can be more merciful and gracious in dealing with misfortune in others.
LORD, you are both merciful and gracious. I struggle with finding the perfect balance that you always achieve. Help me to recognize and acknowledge the sin while maintaining mercy and grace. Lord, give me your perspective, the viewpoint of perfect love and righteousness to lead my response to others who are suffering. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Posted in Bible Study, God, job, Trials | Tagged hardship, misconceptions about God, mistakes, Trials | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 6-9, God in a Box. Both Job and Bildad state some things about God today that reflect a limited understanding of who God is. Job says that the pain inflicted upon Him is from God and is unjustified. We’ll see Job return to this theme as he continues to defend himself through the repeated accusations of his friends. The second repeated theme is in Bildad’s discourse as he accuses Job of some sin that he is being punished for. Both men say some things about God that are correct, but they make assumptions from their limited perspective that are not correct. The simplify Job’s situation as a black and white scenario when in fact there is lots of grey in the world… grey that can only be made sense of by trusting God’s got something He can bring out of the current “bad” to be some type of “good”.
Father, forgive me for the times I put you in a box, when I rely on my limited understanding to be the entire picture. Expand my faith to trust you even in the dark and even in the grey. You are faithful and true. I put all my hope in you. In Jesus’ Name.
Posted in Bible Study, God, Trials | Tagged faith, hardship, misconceptions about God, Trials | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Job 1-5, Dark But Not Abandoned. Before I read the Bible through, Job was by far my least favorite book. In fact, it wasn’t until the third time reading the Bible through that I finally began to grasp how valuable the lessons from Job were and how good God was to give us this dark and painful story. Redemption comes, but not after many chapters and repeated conversations between Job, his friends, and finally God.
These first five chapters are dark and painful. There is an important takeaway that should be of some comfort. Satan, the Accuser, is limited in his malevolent power. We may wonder why God gives him permission to afflict Job but the fact that God has veto power gives us a picture of God’s sovereignty. There is nothing that comes upon us that has not been allowed by God. We know from the rest of scripture that God is good, loving, kind, and just, but all this is on a grand scale that our single point-in-time perspective might not be able to understand. God sees the entire picture. I don’t. My response is to trust His heart even in the midst of my hurt.
Father, in my finite awareness, help me to trust in your infinite goodness. You have blessed us with Jesus to die in our place, the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth, and opportunities galore to spread the good news of you in the world. When difficulties come, when darkness presses in, help us to lean into you even more. May the way we live and love and trust you be a beacon of light to others that the world may know that you reign above it all. In Jesus’ Name we pray.
Posted in Trials, worldview | Tagged faith, grief, hardship, loss, misconceptions about God, Trials | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Genesis 8-11, Power of Community. There is tremendous power in an aligned community. A new “technology”, the brick, gave the people of Babylon the opportunity to build a structure that would rival any that then existed. And community pride was the vehicle that drove them to try to do just that. I hear echoes of the serpent’s temptation of Eve in the garden in the rationale behind building the great tower.
God calls us to community too, but it is to be God-centered community. Knowing Him and following Him is the way to life to the full. Jesus said this very thing in the Gospel of John. Connecting John 14:6 and John 10:10, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and in him alone is life to the full. When we follow Jesus in discipleship community, we will find ourselves surrounded by brothers and sisters in the ultimate community of mercy, grace, and power.
Lord, guide us to seek you first and foremost. Help us to properly prioritize everything in our life that you are the center of our thoughts, our words, and our actions. We desire to live in a faith community that continues to grow and fill the whole world with the knowledge of you. Be glorified in and through us, faithful LORD.
Posted in God, Jesus Christ, The Father, worldview, Worship | Tagged community, faith building, Jesus | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Genesis 4-7, Spiral. Living apart from God cannot help but result in a downward spiral. While Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, God had not totally left them and their family as evidenced by the sacrifices Cain and Abel offered. God even corrected and warned Cain before he killed his brother. The following chapters which cover some 1600+ years show this downward spiral until God intervenes with the flood.
Thank you, Lord, for rescuing Noah and his family. You foreshadowed your ultimate rescue of humanity through your Son, Jesus. Help us to live worthy of the great gift of life that you have given us. Guide us in our role of your ongoing rescue through the advance of the Gospel. We love you, Lord! Amen.
Posted in Bible Study | Tagged Cain and Abel, flood, Noah, sin | Leave a Comment »
January 11, 2026 by areliablefaith
Genesis1-3. Helpmate. God recognized and provided a helpmate for Adam. He needed her and God provided. It was still essential for both Adam and Eve to remain in intimate relationship with God to live the life God had purposed for them. Failing in this they became easy targets for the enemy’s deception. They fell because they listened to and acted upon the wrong voices… the serpent’s and then their own.
Lord, please help us to walk closely with you. We admit the tendency is to wander, to do things without first consulting you. We see how this caused Adam and Eve to be deceived and to sin. We repent of our self-reliance, and we place our reliance on you this day. Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit who gently helps us as we put our trust, our hope, and our dependence upon you. Amen.
Posted in Beautiful Places, God, Marriage | Tagged dependence on God, eden, Genesis, new creation, relationship | Leave a Comment »
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