By: Arnie Cole, Pamela Ovwigho, and Michael Ross
“Behold, God will not reject a blameless man, nor take the hand of evildoers.”
Faith Quest
Read Job 8:1-22
If bad things will happen anyway, why still follow God?
Faith Trek
It was now Bildad’s turn to speak, and he again focused on sin. Unlike Eliphaz, though, Bildad acknowledged that sometimes in this world evildoers do seem to prosper. They may have health, family, wealth, and nice houses. The allure of an easy life tempts all of us at times. We could watch TV instead of praying. We’d rather read the latest New York Times than spend time in the Word. It seems easier and more comfortable to go our own way than to serve and love others as Jesus would have us.
So if temptation looks so good and bad things are going to happen anyway, why should we still follow God? Well, there’s the obvious reason that He is our Creator, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty. He is holy and worthy of all worship and praise.
He also desires a relationship with every one of us. His love seeks us out, and only through Him do we have hope of life eternal. We choose to follow God because we know that nothing in this world is permanent. As Bildad pointed out, houses do not stand and our days on earth are merely a shadow. Relying on anything other than God makes our trust like a spiderweb.
One evening I (Pam) was returning home with my daughters. As I was gathering things from the car, I noticed that the girls had stopped halfway on the sidewalk instead of going in the house. They turned around and shouted to me, “Spider!” In the light of the moon, I could see a web that stretched completely across the walkway. It was at least five feet high and about three feet across as it spanned from one pine tree to another. It was the biggest spiderweb I have ever seen. As you can imagine, the spider that created the web was not petite either. It was also sitting in the dead center of the web. So we carefully picked our way around it and went inside.
By the next morning, that giant web was gone. This is the point Bildad was making. Even the friendliest temptations eventually disappoint. Our lasting hope is in the Lord and Him alone.
Faith Tools
• The temptation to turn away from God may be especially strong when we are hurting.
• Trusting the things of this world only disappoints; our only eternal hope is found in our Lord.
• PRAY: “Lord, you told us that following You would not be easy. It’s especially hard when I’m hurting and see those who don’t claim your name enjoying life. Help me to keep an eternal perspective and run to you instead of running from you.” Anytime you encounter temptation today, stop and talk to God about it.
Notes for Growth
A Key Point I Learned Today:
How I Want to Grow:
My Prayer List:
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