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Published 8/1/19 Read Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed...

Published 7/31/19 Read Job 5:20-27 "In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be...

Published 7/30/19 Read Job 5:17-19 "Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you." Reflect • What's the difference between worldly fear and the fear of the Lord? • Are you confident that believers walk with the protection of our Lord Jesus Christ? (Please explain.) • Even though God ca

Published 7/29/19 Read Job 5:8-11 "As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." Reflect • Are you willing to wait patiently as you bring your requests to God? • Why is it important to not expect immediate answers? • What are some ways that you ca

Published 7/26/19 Read Job 5:1-7 "Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple. I have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his dwelling. His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them. The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. For affliction does

Published 7/25/19 Read Job 4:20 Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. Reflect • How can you avoid religious small talk? • Why is it important to avoid slipping into religious small talk when trying to comfort others? • Our words should encourage and build each other up in the faith. Do you agree? (Please explain.) As Eliphaz described his vision, it is easy to see why it was frightening to him. He pointed out

Published 7/24/19 Read Job 4:12 Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it. Reflect • How do you protect yourself from loose Bible interpretations? • Eliphaz attempted to advise Job based on his visions and dreams, which he believed were from God. To know what God really said, we must carefully search the Scriptures ourselves, rather than relying on often loose interpretations from others. Is this your approach? (Please explain.) • What are s

Published 7/23/19 Read Job 4:8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. Reflect • Is your view of God limited by your own box of beliefs? • It's tempting to believe in a just world--that good things only happen to good people and bad things only happen to bad people. What should we do when bad things happen to good people? • When we ignore truths about God, we limit our relationship with him. Do you believe this? (Please explain.) As Eliphaz co

Published 7/22/19 Read Job 4:2 If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking? Reflect • When is "good advice" best kept to yourself? • Why is it never wise to offer unsolicited advice as you attempt to comfort someone who is hurting? • What's the best way to comfort someone who is hurting? Job's friends sat with him in silence and listened to his lament before God until Eliphaz found he could no longer hold his tongue. He began by ac

Published 7/19/19 Read Job 3:25-26 "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil." Reflect • How has God helped you during times of turmoil? • Do you believe that God has not abandoned you? In times of distress, call out to Him, and He will give you the power of the Holy Spirit. He will help you handle whatever it is that you must face. • Do you hold tight to our hope in Jesus? That's what

Published 7/18/19 Read Job 3:16-19 Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light? There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master. Reflect • What's the secret to spiritual restoration and contentment? • Do you "eat up" Scripture regularly and tap into a two-wa

Published 7/17/19 Read Job 3:11-15 "Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest, with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves, or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. Reflect • How does God bring healing to those who are crushed in spi

Published 7/16/19 Read Job 3:1-4 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said: "May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, 'A boy is conceived!' That day--may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it." Reflect • When bad things happen, do you shake your fist at God--or lean into Him? • Remember that Jesus has big arms. He understands our pain, our grief. He cares, and He's right there with us

Published 7/15/19 Read Job 2:13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. Reflect • Job's friends displayed empathy in response to his suffering. Why is this important? (Share about a moment when you did the same for a hurting friend.) • Often we provide the most comfort to those who are hurting by our silent presence. Have you reached out in this way? (Please explain.) •

Published 7/12/19 Read Job 2:11 They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. Reflect • Is your life open enough to comfort a friend in need? • Job's friends sacrificed their own comfort and convenience to help a friend in need. Are you that kind of friend, too? • We can look to others to remind us in times of trouble that we are not alone. Have you done this? Even in ancient times, news traveled. We learn in verse 11 that Job's three frie

Published 7/11/19 Read Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Reflect • When is it hardest to hold fast to your integrity? • Holding fast to our faith can be difficult in times of trouble and when others around us are falling away. What should we do during those moments? • Remembering that we worship God for who He is helps whe

Published 7/10/19 Read Job 2:4-6 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life." Reflect • Can you worship in the storm? • Physical pain can constrict our lives by limiting our activities, hijacking our emotions, and dampening our spirits. What shou

Published 7/9/19 Read Job 2:3 And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." Reflect • Do you believe that sometimes suffering happens "without reason"? • The natural human tendency is to look for an explanation for suffering. Where should we loo

Published 7/8/19 Read Job 1:21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Reflect • Can you worship in the storm? • In the pain of a setback, we have a choice to turn our focus inward, outward, or upward on our Lord. What have you chosen to do? (Share a story.) • Worshipping in the midst of a storm becomes a more natural reaction when it's already a regular part of

Published 7/5/19 Read Job 1:17-19 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the fo

Published 7/4/19 Read Job 1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." Reflect • How do you respond when your livelihood is threatened? • Our God is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides. He doesn't change even when our circumstances do. Do you believe this? (Why or why not?) • While society may view our jobs as who we are, ou

Published 7/3/19 Read Job 1:8 And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Reflect • How often do you consider what's going on in the spiritual realms? • Through good times and bad, God wants to have a relationship with each of us. How does our relationship change during each circumstance? • Good people may stumble in their faith when bad thing

Published 7/2/19 Read Job 1:5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually. Reflect • How can I lead spiritually in the "good times"? • Spiritual leadership includes helping our children nurture their relationships with

Published 7/1/19 Read Job 1:1-3 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who...