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Give and Take

Job 1:21-22
“And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
Job was a God fearing man who was given over to Satan and had everything taken away from him. In all of this, he stayed faithful to the Lord and trusted that His plan was better. If only I could have the willingness of Job, the willingness to long suffer for the King, fully trusting in Him when the trials of this life overwhelm me. As a human of the flesh, I too often place my comfort in this world, not thinking that at any given moment any object or person could be taken away from me. Therefore, when something or someone of interest is no longer, I become frustrated because I think I am entitled. The Lord gives and just as quickly He takes away, but He does this not to punish me, but to strengthen me and teach me that the things of this life truly have no eternal value. So, how deep really is my love for the Lord? Do I actually trust that His plan is greater than my own? Am I truly willing to lose everything for His sake? When I examine these questions from the perspective of my heart, the answer is not one desired. Of course I love the Lord, but sin continues to separate us. Why should I wait on the Lord when my plan has a door of opportunity open? Why should I surrender when I can receive? But, when all is said and done and judgement is upon me, I want to be as Paul in Philippians 3:8, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

 Application
Today, I will write “surrender” on my arm as a reminder that Christ is in control. 

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