Adversity
Terms of Repayment
The human experience is riddled with instances of hardship, trauma, turmoil, pain, and suffering. With very few exceptions, these ultimately will intrude on everyone’s life. However, despite this undeniable record, as individuals we seem to live as if we believe we can beat the odds. Rather than accepting these challenges as part of life, we…
Read MoreDays of Affliction
Most people know what it means to have a bad day. We usually interpret that to mean that multiple things have gone wrong, sometimes terribly wrong, one right after the other. It could be that you woke up sick, received bad news from work, or performed poorly on a test. It could be something far…
Read MoreThe Days of My Prime
If you pay attention to sports, you will sometimes hear a commentator refer to an athlete being “in his prime.” Interestingly, the “prime” age may vary depending upon the sport. For most sports the prime falls in the late twenties and early thirties, after gaining sufficient experience but before the body has worn down too…
Read MoreFar Be It From Me
Job had endured the loss of his children, the loss of his wealth, and the loss of his health. In society he had endured the humiliation of going from respected statesman to social outcast. But when his friends came to see him, he found it necessary to endure their reproach, their indignation, and their accusations.…
Read MoreHow Can a Man Be Righteous Before God?
Job had made a powerful case, demonstrating that suffering comes upon all people regardless of the righteousness of their behavior. However, Bildad the Shuhite refused to acknowledge—at least directly—the strength of Job’s case. Instead, he turned his attention to the distance that lies between God and all men, emphasizing the exalted nature of God compared…
Read MoreNo Man Is Sure of Life
In the ongoing discussion between Job and his friends, Job maintained his innocence with frustration and fervor, responding to the increasingly virulent attacks made against his life and character by his friends with precision and logic. He had yet to figure out the full impact of his circumstances and the greater lesson they implied; however,…
Read MoreWhen He Has Tested Me
People are quick to tell you that life is not fair. It is an axiom that comes quick to the lips just due to hearing it so often—so quickly that we often do not think about what we are saying. It is an explanation of sorts—and sometimes a justification. When trials and hardships come our…
Read MoreFalse Accusations
Criticism hurts—no matter how kindly delivered and no matter how constructively cast. It pains us to hear criticism because—even if we knew the problem existed previously—it is embarrassing and somewhat depressing to hear that someone else noticed and thought it significant enough an issue to bring to our attention. Enduring the critique of any sermon…
Read MoreEmpty Words
Any discussion that includes some level of disagreement requires greater communication skills than most people maintain in their arsenal. Instead, people tend to avoid disagreement in favor of the comfortable confines of self-affirming opinions offered by friends or they resort to mocking the other person and his position, usually with an assumption built on a…
Read MoreMy Redeemer Lives
The final words of Bildad the Shuhite in Job 18 had to have hurt: “And this is the place of him who does not know God” (Job 18:21b). While he may not have directed them specifically toward Job, the implication was strong enough. Job’s friends had assumed the worst about him, despite offering no evidence…
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