May 10th AND 11th

May 10th AND 11th (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2038&version=NLT and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=job%2042&version=NLT respectively)

The Lord challenges Job (10th) ; Job responds to the Lord (11th)

So, I'm not gonna' summarize this all, because it's hugely long, and can't really be paraphrased, so maybe just read it off the link or out of your Bible for today. Basically, though, Job did finally start to complain, and God called him out for it. When Job began questioning Him, He answered with more questions, knowing Job could give no answer to them. He essentially challenges Job, intending to remind him of how He is in control of EVERYTHING. He also wants Job to see that what He sees is beyond Job's level of understanding, so even if Job doesn't see any rhyme or reason to the circumstance, God does.

Job, (after about 4 chapters of God speaking to him) answers God, then. Again, if you want to read it, please feel free to, but it would take to long to sum up on here. Job, though, basically apologizes to God for his ignorance. When God finishes talking to Job, He then goes and asks for sacrifices from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for speaking inaccurately about Him. Job prays for his friends, though, and God then gives him twice the fortune he had before. Then all his family came to feast with him and comfort him over the trials he had faced. Job also later had seven more sons and three more daughters. He lived 140 years after that, seeing 4 generations of children and grandchildren, before dying after a good, long life.

Two things to point out:
1) Job messed up, even though he seemed so perfect before. That's just proof that no man is perfect (other than Jesus, who was). However, when he did, God did forgive him. God sees our hearts, and He recognizes we struggle. It's never an excuse to wrong God in any way, of course, but God is loving and merciful. He knows that due to our human nature, and the sin that sometimes consumes us, we are bound to mess up, and situations such as Job's (or more minor versions of Job's, when we're talking day-to-day basis like a fight with a friend) tend to make us mess up a lot more. But, when we realize it and repent, and are honestly upset by our mistake, like Job was, then He knows that. He does forgive.

2) Job's friends. Well, they got in trouble. Why? For wrongly conveying God. Or rather, for not speaking accurately about Him. See, between chapter 2 (where we were on the 9th) and chapter 39, it's all Job and his friends talking. Evidently somewhere in there they all said something wrong about God and who He is. They got in some major trouble for this. I guess what I am saying it be careful you do not misrepresent, or alter God when explaining Him to people. Be cautious that you are being honest about who He is. Don't lie, or speak wrongly out of bitterness or anger. Speak only the truth. Also, I feel if you spoke what you genuinely thought was truth, but were wrong, God would know your heart and know you meant to only speak truth, and not be so angry with you as He was with Job's friends. But still always be careful what sort of character you are writing God as to those around you.

That's all for today! God bless! Shalom!

P.S. Yes, I did two today and put them in one post. I wasn't home until midnight last night from my school dance, so I sort of just crashed when I got home (upon promising myself to do yesterday's today). Plus, clearly it worked better to have these two in one post anyways. God knows what He's doing, after all!