YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR SUFFERING! So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with…

TRUE FREEDOM! So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter…

COVER OF DARKNESS When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief. The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness. —Job 24:14-17 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. —John 13:30 But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.…

Justification… A heart beats with the chest of a 91 year old man. It is a human heart that he has, no doubt. A heart is also beating in the chest of a 50 year old woman. Yes, it is also a human heart, no doubt. There is a teen-age girl whose heart too is beating systematically within her. Surely her heart is a human heart as well. Then there is a lively boy five years of age and a cooing girl only one month old. They have human hearts, no doubt. What do you say about a child whose heart is beating at 3 weeks and a day in…

MY REDEEMER LIVES! But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more… If someone dies, will they live again? —Job 14:10, 14 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus…

PREACH THE WORD! And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. —Acts 8:1 Up to this time the church did not move out of Jerusalem to “make disciples of all…

THE BREVITY OF LIFE Our days on earth are but a shadow. —Job 8:9 My days are swifter than a runner. —Job 9:25 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. —James 4:14 My neighbors are in their latter 80’s. They have lived next to us for about 25 years. Hard to believe they were in their 60’s when they first moved in or that I was in my latter 30’s. A few weeks ago the wife was moved to a nursing home. She’s doing well there. Now the husband is…

YIELD TO HIS WILL AND DO HIS WILL! “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. —Acts 7:20-22 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. —Acts 7:23 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to…

TRUST “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. —Job 1:21-22 I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” —Job 3:26 Then Job answered the Lord: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.” —Job 40:3-5 Messenger 1: your oxen and donkeys were stolen, your servants slaughtered and I am…

SERVING In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the…