Job 27:1-5- And Job
continued his discourse: "As surely as God lives, who has denied
me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste
bitterness of soul, as
long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my
tongue will utter no deceit. I will never admit you are in the right; till
I die, I will not deny my integrity.
Job…in spite of his confusion and pain from illness and loss…
cries out to his friends that he will hold fast to God….no matter what. Job knew
that he had offered the sacrifices God had required…and held on to the
knowledge that God had redeemed him…and counted him among the righteous. Job decided to tell his friends to stop their
accusations…or they would be his enemies in the future.
Job’s clear conscious …despite his great pain…could only
have come from a dose of God’s peace ….that surpasses any human’s ability to
understand. It says in Philippians 4:6-7…
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Our clear conscious must be accompanied by a dose of God’s
forgiveness as well. Job knew that he had regularly taken the required sacrifices
to the Temple of God…and asked God to forgive him for any sin he might have
committed. He even offered sacrifices for
his family as well. The blood of those
animals he offered to God washed clean his heart each time he went.
Our conscious can’t just be washed clean with an animal sacrifice
anymore. We have to accept the sacrifice
of blood that Jesus paid on the cross….and confess our sins to him like it says
in 1 John 1:8-9… “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.”
Father…thank you for this story of faith and strength that
reminds me to search my heart for sin each day. Help me to wash all the sin from my heart…and
have a clear conscious like Job…by asking you to forgive the many sins I have committed. Replace the confessed sins with your peace
that helps me to survive the ups and downs of Earthly life. Show me how to stand strong like Job…sure of
the love you have placed in my heart…till I take my last breath. Amen.
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