Job 28:28

Job 28:28 And he said to man "the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to shun evil that is understanding."

Job did just this.  He was known as a man who was blameless and upright.  One who feared God and shunned evil.

Job was a wise man. 

He got it.

Fear God - hold him in highest esteem, respect him, revere him.

That is what Job did.  That is how Job lived.

He did not sin against God.

But he was still confused by it all.

Why so much tragedy struck him.

It really truly comes down to this.

God is sovereign
God is in control
God does what he wants when he wants

But his timing and purpose is always good.

Even if it doesn't make sense this side of eternity.

The big picture is what our purpose here on earth is

To glorify God
To praise him
To love him
To seek him
To share him with others

Sometimes that is going to involve things that are painful for us

But we can never stop looking at the big picture of advancing God's kingdom

and sharing him with others

That is wisdom

That is fear of the Lord.

That is how I want to live my life.

American Patriots - A book review

For the Tyndale Blogging Network, I choose to read American Patriots by Rick Santorum. As part of agreeing to read the book in its entirety and posting a review of it on my blog as well as a consumer site, I received a complimentary copy of the book to keep.

American Patriots is a wonderful short book that highlights some of the lesser known people involved in attaining freedom from England years ago during the Revolutionary War and their roles.  Mr. Santorum broke the book into three sections, based on the Declaration of Independence's words of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness penned by Thomas Jefferson.  He theorized that Mr. Jefferson could have written those words in a different order than he had, say for example, liberty, happiness and life, or happiness, life and liberty, but he chose the order of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because we need life first before we can have liberty (freedom) and the pursuit of happiness.  He broke up each section of the book with stories of patriots under each of those sections of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.  What was really neat too was how the Patriots at that time would have defined happiness, not as we would have but that happiness would be as a result of doing what one ought to do according to God's laws. It puts a whole different concept of the Pursuit of Happiness when expressed that way.

Each chapter that highlighted the Patriots started off with a Biblical verse relative to characteristics that particular Patriot had.  The chapters were short, to the point of sharing characteristics of the Patriots and their achievements not only during the Revolutionary War time period but later in their lives. I learned so much about history that I hadn't learned in school and enjoyed especially the story of Nancy Morgan Hart who was so much more taller than the average woman at the time, over 6 feet tall, disguised herself as a man to gain intelligence for the war, but also married at the age of 36 and had eight children born to her in her marriage.

My take on the book, I did enjoy it very much. It would not have been a book I would have considered reading or buying before picking it to read to review, but it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed once I started reading it. For anyone who enjoys United States history, they will like this book.  For anyone who is looking for a gift for someone who enjoys that period of time in our history, this would definitely be a good book to add to their collection.  For anyone who wants to learn a bit more of the unsung heroes of our country's founding, they won't be disappointed in the stories shared. I would highly recommend it.

burdens

Psalm 68:19 Praise to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

I just love this. The Lord God, the God of all creation, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, daily bears our burdens.  He WANTS to bear our burdens.

We just need to give them to him.

I find comfort in this verse.

Thank you Lord that you do daily bear my burdens.

guard what is entrusted

2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am.  Yet I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Paul was never ashamed of preaching Jesus after Jesus had revealed himself to Paul.  Paul knew exactly who Jesus was, as well as knowing Father God and the Holy Spirit.  He trusted Jesus explicitly, no matter what his circumstances.

Imprisoned.
Ship wrecked.
Beaten.
Hunger.

Among so much other hardship.

And he was not ashamed of the gospel.

He always preached Jesus

Boldly.
With confidence.
With authority.

Telling the truth of Jesus

and Paul entrusted his life to Jesus

He knew Jesus was able to guard what was entrusted to Him

I have that same promise, that same hope

I can entrust to Jesus my day, what I am going through, my struggles, fears, anxieties, etc.

I entrust to you Lord Jesus

my marriage
my children
my jobs/finances
my safety/provision
me/my life

I know you are more than capable of guarding us

for your glory and honor

I am convinced of it

Thank you Jesus

I love you!

Cruel Harvest - a Book Review

For BookSneeze, I chose to read Cruel Harvest by Fran Grubb.  As part of agreeing to read the book in its entirety and posting a review about it on my blog and a consumer site, I received a complimentary copy of the book.

Cruel Harvest is a memoir of Ms. Grubb's and her siblings growing up with an abusive father who abused them physically and sexually, as well as their father physically abusing their mother.  As migrant farm workers, it was not unusual for Ms. Grubb and her siblings to be out picking cotton or apple or whatever the produce at a very young age, for all day, and expected to bring in big quota in their pickings.  They were constantly on the road and never had enough to eat, adequate clothing, and were constantly subjected to their father's abuse, living in fear and eventually hatred towards their father.  Even when he was arrested and kept in jail after authorities learned of his abuse, he still managed to get out of prison after a few years, track down the children, steal them away and begin the cycle again of abuse.

Over the years one by one the children would run away and be on their own until Ms. Grubb is the last one left to do so. She eventually comes to marry an honorable man who is a devoted Christian, as she has come to be herself, and he helps track down her siblings.  She is able to reunite with several of them after nearly 40 years of not seeing them and is able to finally have the family she wished she had so many years before.  She is also, through the working of God in her life, able to forgive her father, who is long dead, but she is able to visit his grave and express forgiveness. 

My thoughts, from page one to the end of the book, it was a gripping sad tale of abuse and fear in conditions I can't imagine, cold, hungry, afraid to say or do anything, etc. It was a book that will impact you and make you think that there are still kids out there being abused in such a way. Its a book where you wonder if any good can come out of the lives of the people that are abused, but yet good did come out of it in the siblings that Fran Grubb was able to find, several had married and had loving families and were successful in their own right. It is a story wondering if forgiveness could happen but it does only by the grace of God.

Reading it, it was hard to keep focused that it definitely was a true story and not a fiction. These were real children and a wife being abused. Like I said earlier, it was definitely a book that was gripping and could not be put down.

It was a book leaving you for more, but you know she told the story as she knew it. The loose ends that were there, wondering what had happened to her father after she left, where her mom had gone after she abandoned them, etc., would be questions she would never have answered, as well as those that read her book. Her husband did find her parents' graves, but what had transpired after she left would never be answered.

I would recommend this book. It sadly tells the story of abuse, but it also tells the story of forgiveness and faith in God. It will be a story that stays with you for a very long time.

on church going

Ecclesiastes 7:16  There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.

I was thinking about people and churches this morning, especially why people sometimes give excuses for not going to church, i.e., because there is something they don't like about others that attend churches.  That the people at church might be hypocritical, judgmental, cliquish, etc.  Yet, let's stop and examine this.

What is the church made of?

People
Flawed people
Sinners

Solomon says it so right in this passage.  There is no one that never sins - not even a righteous person - the only perfect person is Jesus who never sinned when he walked this earth.

So churches are made up of sinners.  Flawed people.  People though who realize there is something more to just this temporary life.  Something eternal . Who gather together to learn about Jesus, worship him together.

Do we still sin?  Are we flawed?

You bet we are.

But yet we continue to press on, aware of our inadequacies, aware of our need for Jesus, aware of our need for fellowship with fellow believers.

One needs that fellowship of a church to help get through life.  Jesus knew that.  Think about it.  There wasn't just one apostle he chose to teach, but 12.  He knew they would need each other, both to get the message out about Jesus but also to get through life supporting each other.

Don't give up on going to church because of people there.  Get in there, meet others, serve others, learn about Jesus together, worship him together.

Your life will be so much more rewarding.

I guarantee that.