Happy Monday. Wendy hopes we all had a wonderful weekend. Wendy had writing and laundry to do and she hopes to share about her writing project soon. Everyone has clean clothes, and for about an hour, every laundry basket in her home was empty.
Today started another week of dialogue between Job and his friends. We meet a new friend. It was expressed in the comments on the weekend that some of Job's friends voices are getting “irritating” and you can tell by the elevated tone of their words that something has changed. Their responses aren’t quite as nice. Things are getting a little heated. Sometimes that happens when we’re receiving counsel from a friend and we can get kind of combative. That is where Job seems to be. Looking back on our reading on January 23rd, Job even said that God hated him. He is getting worn down by the heavy hand of the Lord and also by his friends who seem to be relentless in their pursuit that Job must be guilty and all he needs to do is confess. That would be the answer to everything.
Tucked away in today’s reading in Job 22, we see Eliphaz’s response. Beginning in verse 21, “Submit to God, and you will have pace; then things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored - so clean up your life.” Amid all the combative dialogue, every now and then we see a sprinkle of truth we can apply to our lives in any given situation. Wendy came up with three little steps: Submit, listen and store.
Submit literally means acquaint or yield. Now that gives a different, clearer picture. Submit means surrender and give up. Acquaint means become familiar with. Yield means give into. Those two words paint a great picture of the word submit. To be used, exhibit use, be familiar with, know intimately. We are to know God intimately. Exhibit a relationship with Him.
Peace, Wendy would describe as tranquil and everything going well. Peace is the same word from the Hebrew as “good”. It means to make peace and be in covenant with peace. To be complete, finished, sound and uninjured. For your heart to be spiritually, physically and emotionally uninjured. The beautiful picture of being complete and sound.
The third step is to store or to establish. To put in place, set apart or to make. We must put a place in our hearts for God’s instruction. That word ‘listen’ in verse 22 means to receive. To seize or take hold of. Think of physically taking hold of this and we need to, as we read His Word daily, seize it, own it, take hold of it and store it in our hearts, so that when we come to a place where we’re at a crossroads of sin we have it to fall back on. Psalm 119:11 says to hide Thy Word in my heart so I might not sin against Thee.
We need to submit to God which means we need to acquaint ourselves and know God intimately. Then we need to listen to or receive His instruction. Then we need to store and put His Words in our hearts. Treasure His Word in our hearts.
Submit, Listen and Store! Three simple words we can take to heart.
(All thoughts transcribed from Wendy's blog to aid those whose computers are not capatible to view these videos.)
FROM JOY: Well, ladies I'm still having computer issues. I'm also still waiting on the Lord each day regarding transcribing these posts. As I have felt no clear direction either way, as time permits, for this week at least, I will continue. Trusting for Him to provide.
2 comments:
Joy, when He is ready, He will let you know what you are to do. Thank you so much for the time you spend doing this for us.
Jan TN
Joy, follow His lead. I appreciate all that you do. thank you!
Gaylene
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