Job’s life is hopeless. He has lost all his possessions. His open sores are both physically painful and socially isolating. His friends are not helpful. All he has to hold on to is his belief in God and in himself and even that is being undermined.
So it’s not surprising that he longs for the release of death. And yet we begin to see a glimmer of hope that God does care for him—hope that is not yet a certainty.
Read More despair, deathAfter such a devastating attack it is amazing that Job can even lift his head for a response, can even open his mouth to defend himself.
But often the best defence is to go on the attack. So, yes, Eliphaz, you are a miserable comforter, a bag of wind yourself. And if I were in your shoes I too would find it just as easy to mount the attack, to gather the insults, to punch and pound an opponent.
Read More despair, death, blameDuring our son’s year long battle with leukemia we hoped for the best while preparing for the worst. We lived life to the fullest, however that looked from day to day. But we also took the necessary time to do and say all that was necessary in the case that God called him home.
Read More death, eternity
One of life’s greatest pleasures is to enjoy the thrill of having our dreams come true. Achieving satisfaction fuels a fire in us and empowers us to pursue even grander possibilities. But be aware of the pitfalls of chasing after quick get-rich schemes.
Fulfilled hopes and dreams are not just for the privileged few.
Read More life, death, choiceThe Lord is the one and only God, and tolerates no rivals. He longs for his people to know life, and so he reveals the secret of life. If you want life, you will find it in God. If you choose to depart from God and your relationship to God, you will find yourselves and your land destroyed.
This passage re-affirms the covenant between God and his chosen people.
Read More life, death, love, jealousy, provision, warningMoses wraps up his speech and his ministry with a passionate call to the people of God to choose life. The answer to life is not removed from us or hidden away. The Word has been given to us and we hold it. God has made clear “life and good, death and evil.” What remains is for us to choose between the options.
If we walk with the Lord we will be nourished and find life.
Read More death, choice, life
“Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord, have mercy on us!”
I uttered those words as I read the horrendous details of the September 2013 shopping mall massacre in Nairobi, Kenya. One bright, sunny day terrorists stormed the mall, shooting and throwing grenades. Over four days they tortured and killed more than 70 people and injured more than 200 men, women and children. So many innocent lives destroyed.
Read More suffering, death, hope, tragedy
