The Book of Job leads me to many questions.

What does it mean to be a godly man or woman? I tremble, every time I get to the book of Job, in the course of regular reading. I really don’t like it for many reasons.

Verse one for instance, Not just godly in his person, but in his practice and in his words? Prior to redemption, the Holy Spirit had put this desire to please God in Job’s heart, for some reason. Why? It is so that the works of God could be manifest in his life. I am always taken aback by that. How could he be God fearing and God pleasing without the indwelling Holy Spirit? How come, my life is so difficult to line up and I do have the Holy Spirit?

Seeking the presence of God, over the comfort of a life that goes with the flow was Job’s possession.

He had an implanted desire to know God. God showed that His desire for Job to know Him was greater than Job’s desire to know God. But, even then, a price had to be paid! Jesus paid it all! If we are seeking God in our own strength, the devil has free access to us, even in the NT time. There was no redeemer yet given in Job’s day.

God said don’t think that there is any who can pay for his own sins. Don’t think that there is anyone who has enough righteousness of his own merit to pay for his own sins. Even the most faithful in the old testament era, the Least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is. For Christ sake and his sake alone.

Not that we shouldn’t try to live godly. We should try, but we should always try to live for Jesus glory and not for our own glory. In difficulty and in exalted circumstances, alike!

Jesus paid it all! God still wants to show His people’s victories over sin and temptation and discouragements and slough’s of all sorts to the onlooking spirit world!

I simply hate to think about it. That is my sin that makes me not want to look at the spiritual warfare that God is engaged in on our behalf.

On I go to read Job.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Psalm 15

Proverbs 24:8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

Proverbs 24:9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

Ezekiel 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 14:20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Noah, Daniel, Job?

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Not by our own strength, truly, is the lesson of Job. God is showing off His people for His glory. The meekness and growth in the spirit. The exuberance in prayer that is attained to. The humble reception of good and difficult providences. The taking of captivity captive, for God’s own glory. God likes to show these things off, in His children

“Only one life, so soon it will pass, Only what is done for Christ will last” How do we follow our Savior in His obedience and live our lives to the praise of His glory and not our own?