Priorities of God – in view of the life of Job
Job 1: 1-3 (NIV)
Today let us look at the life of Job and learn something. Let us read the first verse of the book of Job
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
If some one will ask you to describe a man, let us suppose you were asked to give a brief account of Job in your own word, many of you will start like this There was a man lived, who was the greatest man among all the people of the East. and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants, He had seven sons and three daughters, This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
When you asked to describe about Mr. Bill Gates, what will be the first thing come in to your brain.
Wealth and about his company, isn’t it? Lest will look at his character.
When you asked to describe about Mr. George Bush, what will be the first thing come in to your brain.
Power, isn’t it? Lest will look at his character.
When you asked to describe about Mr. Bill Clinton, what will be the first thing come in to your brain.
Lest will look at his character.
But in front of God, God looks you with a different eye, with a different perspective. Let us look what God looks in you.
1.First you: In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.
2.Secondly your character: This man was blameless and upright;
3.Thirdly his relationship with God: he feared God and shunned evil.
4.Fourthly about your family: He had seven sons and three daughters,
5.And then comes your wealth: and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants.
6.Lastly his position in the Society: He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
God looks you with a view point that is entirely different from what men looks in you. First he is interested with you. You are the most important thing in the eyes of God, not your fame/status, not your wealth, not your family, not your relationship with God, Not your character. But YOU.
Mathew 16: 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Psalms 49: 5-9 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me- those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough- that he should live on forever and not see decay.
YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN FRONT OF GOD.
The same order of importance you can see in th conversation between God and Statn: Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
You may not be much important for your colleagues, You may not have much importance in your office, you may not be important for your spouse, for your parents, for your children, for your church, for your pastor, for your brother or sister. In your society you may not have much importance. People may value you with your wealth, health, status in your society, knowledge or power etc.
And remember this. In the sight of God you are much much much more important than anything else in this world. You are mote important than your wealth, your money power, your status in the society.
Even though you don’t have all these material thins of this world, still God loves you. He wants your companionship. He wants your fellowship. All the more he wants you as you are. Let us now praise God together for his unconditional love. Praise the Lord.
Secondly God looks at your character: This man was blameless and upright;
Now you know you are important to God and then he looks at your character. This man Job was blameless and upright.
The second most important thing is your Character. How you behave with your family members, How you behave with your parents, and how you behave with your children, how you behave with your neighbor and how you behave in the society. Let us examine ourself, are we living up to that importance which we enjoy in the sight of God? Are we showing the same love to others that God shown to us? God is expecting that love from you.
Mathew: 25: 37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40"The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
When you are important to God, you have to live up to that mark which reciprocate the same kind of love by loving others. For God he is living in the people who surrounded you. He lives in your neighbor, He lives in your colleague, God is present in your brother’s life. What kind of men or women surmounts you, God is there in their life. God wants you to show your love of God by loving your brother, sister or neighbor.
In this perspective let us look at ourselves, how much we love God!!!!
The degree of love we have towards the people surrounded us, is the degree of love we have towards God.
Are you with me?
The more you want to show, God, your love, the more you should love the people surround you.
1st John 4: 19 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother
We must show our love towards God by loving others. Secondly God looks at our character: Are we blameless and upright? Let us re-commit our love towards God by taking a decision that we love the people who surround us. The more we love others, the more we love God. By loving others we can live a blameless and upright life.
Let us look at the following verses in which Job describes about himself.:
Job: 29: 11-16 Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me,
12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
13 The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
See how Job lived in this world. He showed his love towards God by showing it to the needly. Are we living a life like this. Job was a rich man. There is no need for him to live a life like this. As per the theologians, he was lived in an era where there was no written law given by God. Still he loved the people who lived around him. Took care of them. That is why God Commended about him that he was blameless and upright.
In this age we have the entire Bible with us. Full of “to do” and “not to do” things. Are we living up to his law or are we loving God from the depth of our heart??
Thirdly God looks at his relationship with God: he feared God and shunned evil.
See how much more importance is there for you and your character than your relationship with God.
Your relationship with God comes in No.3 not No.1. I am not saying that the relationship is not important. You must fear God. You must shun evil. And above all you and your character is more important for God. We must maintain a good balance between all these things.
Fear God and shun evil - That will help us to keep away from sin. And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Your eagerness to fear god and shun evil will make you a wise and trustworthy person. For understand what is evil we must examine our Bible on a daily basis. Every day it will teach you what kind of relationship you should have with your God. It will teach you what you should do, and from what you should keep yourself away. There are a lot of example in the Bible: Enoch had a good relationship with God that is why God took him away. Abraham had a good relationship with God. Job Had a Good relationship with God. David, Elijah......... the list goes. They all had a good relationship with God. They all were just like one of you and me lived in this world and had a good relationship with God. So what is it that prohibit us from having such relationship with God.
Let us examine ourself: what is important in our life. Is it our wealth? Health? Children? Parents? Possessions? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it?
What is the purpose of our life? Have you ever thought about it? I would like to request you to take few moments to take a stock about your life. Think........
Think..........
Think..........
Think..........
Is it acquiring wealth or fame or position?
What is the Goal of your life?
In the run to acquire all these things we forget the purpose of our life.
We kill and covet, yet have noting!!!!
James 4:2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight.
We do all these odd things, which get us what we want.
Still at the end, we are a failure, we have nothing to hold with us that will help us to get a place in the kingdom of God.
What is it that prohibit us from have a great relationship with God.
Job put away all these things, material things. When we read Job chapter 31 carefully, we can see the standard of life which Job Led.
Job 31
1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. 2 For what is man’s lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty on high? 3 Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? 4 Does he not see my ways and count my every step? 5 "If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit- 6 let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless- 7 if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled, 8 then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted. 9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, 10 then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her. 11 For that would have been shameful, a sin to be judged. 12 It is a fire that burns to Destruction ; it would have uprooted my harvest. 13 "If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me, 14 what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? 16 "If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, 17 if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless- 18 but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow- 19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment, 20 and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, 21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, 22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. 23 For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. 24 "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ’You are my security,’ 25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, 26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, 28 then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. 29 "If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him- 30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against his life- 31 if the men of my household have never said,
’Who has not had his fill of Job’s meat?’- 32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler- 33 if I have concealed my sin as men do, by hiding my guilt in my heart 34 because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside 35 ("Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing. 36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown. 37 I would give him an account of my every step;
like a prince I would approach him.)- 38 "if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears, 39 if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, 40 then let briers come up instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
This is what Job has to say about his life. Money was not important to him. Wealth was not important to him. Possession was not important to him. Health was not most important to him. Fame was not important to him. Above all these material things he maintained a good relationship with God. That is what God wants from you!!! That is what God expect from you. Are you willing to have such relationship with God.
That is why God took extra interest in protecting him and his household and everything he has.
9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
When you love God more than anything else, there is an obligation for God to protect you and bless your work of your hands. Then there will be wealth as Satan said. “You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.”
The third most important thing God looking for in your life is the relationship you maintain with God in your every day life. Job’s children lacked this relationship with God. Job was praying for them regularly. And also offering sacrifices for their sin. But the children were not maintaining that kind of relationship what Job maintained. That is why when God given power over Job’s possession to Satan, God gave a specific instruction to Satan. Let us read that.:
Job 1: 12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
Job and God enjoyed a special kind of relationship with each other. It was lacking in the life of Job’s children. Other wise God would have given a special instruction like this "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man’s Son X, Y, Z............. do not lay a finger. They all are precious for me just like Job."
Sorry to say, they did not maintain a personal relationship with God which compelled God to protect them from the hand of Satan.
Don’t think that my Father have a good personal relationship with God so God will protect me also. The more your father is enjoying personal relationship with God, the more there is chance to Satan attack you test your father. So you have to maintain a very good personal relationship with your God. More than your relatives and friends.
That is the importance of having a personal relationship with God.
Fourthly God looks about your family: He had seven sons and three daughters,
First you, then your character, then your relationship with God and after that the most important thing God looks on you is your family. Job was a very loving father who offered sacrifice for the sins of his sons.
Let us read:
Job 1: 4 - 5His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job’s regular custom.
It shows us the need of taking care of our family members. It is not like that you are giving first priority to God, so there is no place for your family members in your life. You have to live a balance life as I told you earlier. You have to love your spouse, you have to take care of your children, you have to take care of your parents. We are living in a society. And we have some social obligations towards the society and government. We have to take care of it.
Our children are a gift from God. We have to take enough time to pray for them. Job was constantly praying for them. And we have lead them in the paths of God and help them to have a personal relationship with God. Otherwise you will lose them one day. And at the end there won’t be no one to take possession of your wealth.
Fifthly God looks about your wealth: and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants.
There is lot of stuff available out there in the market for creating wealth, Health, Good and happy family, etc. There is no lac of subject. And no lac of books for these subjects. Lot of Books and CD-vedios, e-books etc. are available in the market. You won’t be able to cover all these books of one of these subject till the end of your life. That much stuff are there out in the market.
Again let me introduce you one book which clearly tells you the secret of creating wealth. Job created wealth twice, in the second time it was from the scratch. Do you want to create wealth, Health and prosperity?? Study carefully the book of Job. A shortcut for the knowledge required to create real wealth.
Bible never ever say that God give him wealth instantly. He may be started his creating wealth from one sheep. It doubled in the first year. Then it doubled in the second year. He worked with his hand and took care of this sheep. Then it doubled and doubled and doubled year after year. He introduced new business – Camel Venture, then Bulls, then Donkey. He created double amount of wealth than he had in the first – from the scratch.
He was a good steward of wealth what God given him. That is why he said like this when he lost his wealth: Job 1: 20-22 (NIV) At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
"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.
You cannot take with you the house you stay now from out of this world. You are staying there for a short period. You have to leave behind it for someone else. Till your death you may take possession of it. Then you have to leave it for someone else. Job understood this.
For a short time you will posses the wealth you have with you. Then you have to leave it behind for someone else.
It is given to you for a short time. You are the steward for that wealth. Make best use of it. God will ask you the account of it from you one day.
The Parable of the Talents
Mathew25:14 -30 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22"The man with the two talents also came. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. ’Master,’ he said, ’I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26"His master replied, ’You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28" ’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
You are fully conversant with this parable, there is no need to explain it. It is very easy to understand.
Will you be called good and faithful servant at the end.????
Are you living a life to be called like that?
Or will you be called as ’You wicked, lazy servant!
Hebrews 13: 5-6 (NIV)
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Many times people may misunderstand this verse:
It is not written that “Keep your lives free from money”
But it is written as Keep your lives free from the love of money.
Job was a rich man. Abraham was a rich man. David was rich. And they lived a balanced life.
Ill: Diamond searching guy.
The least thing God looks on you is your position in the Society: He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
Job 29: 7-11 "When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square,
Job: 8 the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet;
9 the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands;
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me,
Job: 29:21-25 "Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel.
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears.
23 They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain.
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.
In the gate of his city he was respected with the respect he deserves. That is what David says in
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
You don’t have to run after it. It will (Goodness and love) follow you not one day or two day but all the days of your life.
So let me conclude this message with a short story.
THE CARPENTER
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the
house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a
favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "My gift to you!"
The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built.
If we could do it over, we’d do it much differently. But we cannot go back.
You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall.
"Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the "house" you live in tomorrow.
Build wisely!
Not let us rearrange our priorities of our life.
1.First you: In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.
2.Secondly your character: This man was blameless and upright;
3.Thirdly his relationship with God: he feared God and shunned evil.
4.Fourthly about your family: He had seven sons and three daughters,
5.And then comes your wealth: and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants.
6.Lastly his position in the Society: He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
Let us leave this place with a committed heart for the Lord
May God bless you abundantly.
