Sunday, June 9, 2013

June 10, 2013

"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;" Job 13:15

It is hard to question Job's commitment. In fact, he was so committed that God was boasting on Him to Satan. Wow!

That prompted Satan to put Job's commitment to the test. And, indeed he did!

We know, of course, that Job passed the test with flying colors!

I guess if you want to learn some insights on commitment, Job would be a good one to study.

What does it take to shake your commitment? Are you committed to the death as Job was?

God allowed Satan to take everything from Job except his life. All that God had blessed Job with was stolen from him. In a matter of a few hours it was all gone. Did that shake Job's commitment? No it didn't.

So, apparently Job was not committed to God for his prosperity. And Job was very prosperous!

Is your commitment to God based on how well He has blessed you? Or, are you committed to Him with the hope that He will prosper you? Job wasn't.

Satan was allowed to inflict Job with painful sores and boils. His misery was so severe that his wife urged him to curse God and die. But in the midst of his agony, Job never charged God foolishly. He remained truly committed to God.

Are you committed to God because you need a healing? Is your commitment dependent upon Him relieving you from pain or suffering? Job's wasn't.

Job was committed to the Person of God. He was not serving God out of any selfish agenda. He wanted nothing from God except God's presence. Job knew God was a personal God and wanted to know Him in person. He was not committed to what God could give him. He wasn't committed to what God could do for him. He wasn't looking for miracles. He just wanted an intimate personal relationship with God. And since that pleased God, God filled Job with His presence and gloried in him.

Commitment that honors God is commitment that hopes in God. Commitment that God desires is a commitment that desires Him. Commitment that pleases God is committed to pleasing God. Commitment that satisfies God is a commitment that seeks Him.

Job loved God more than life itself. That is what Job was committed to and it keep him faithful through several years of intense suffering and incredible loss. Job needed God and nothing more. That is what his suffering left him with - God and little else. But he found that was enough!

It is good to stop from time to time and examine you commitment to God. It is dependent on something you want Him to do for you? Are you trying to "work" God to get what you want from him?

If you are committed to Him for any other reason than loving the Person of God, you will never know the level of intimacy that Job enjoyed with His God.