Job CCCXLIX

 None of Job’s three friends hesitated in passing their judgments. None of them had any hesitation when it came to declaring who God was, how He operated, what His will was, and what the ultimate reason for Job’s suffering stemmed from. They were certain. They would not be swayed, yet they were wrong. So wrong, in fact, that unless Job interceded on their behalf, unless he prayed for them, God would deal with them according to their folly.

God didn’t say they’d gotten it half right, or that there were some things they said about Him and about Job that made sense. He didn’t give them a pass, or insist that they’d spoken out of ignorance, but that what they’d spoken of Him was not right.

Men have varied opinions about God. Nowadays, it seems such opinions have little to no Scriptural basis, more a reflection of how they would like God to be if they could fashion Him for themselves. It is the same snare Job’s friends fell into, wherein they did not perceive God as He is, but as they would have preferred Him to be. They assigned attributes of their own design to His nature, they insisted that because they willed it to be so, God must be as they described Him, and all of it was folly, so off the mark that God had to step in and say, what you have spoken of me was not right; it wasn’t true; that’s not who I am, and you were wholly ignorant of my plan and purpose for my servant Job.

If your view and understanding of who God is contradicts who Scripture unequivocally declares that He is, it is not God who must change to suit your understanding, but you who must change to be in harmony with Scripture. If man’s will alone is sufficient to compel God to become something other than what He is, then Job’s three friends wouldn’t have found themselves in the position they were in.

God would not have rebuked them, nor demanded sacrifice, nor commanded that they go and entreat Job to pray and intercede on their behalf. Well, that’s how you see Me, so that’s who I’ll be, wasn’t God’s reply or attitude to their folly.

Idols are malleable. Gods of man’s own making upon which he can project the attributes and characteristics he desires are inconsistent and ever-changing depending on man's mood, wants, needs, desires, and peccadillos. They may be more permissive, tolerant, less demanding, and easily swayed, but they are not real. They are imagined, created, and shaped by the minds and hands of men, with no inherent power, identity, or will.

My god does as I will! Then he is no God. The Creator will never be subservient to His creation, nor His will inferior to their will. Job’s friends tried to paint a picture of the One True God, and God said, that looks nothing like me. You may have painted something to be sure, but as far as any likeness or resemblance, you missed the mark so thoroughly that unless my servant Job prays on your behalf, I will deal with you according to your folly.

God doesn’t change at man’s whims. He’s not looking to capture an audience, pander to a certain demographic, or ingratiate himself to a particular class. He is God! His will is supreme, He is sovereign, and history proves that everyone who has attempted to stand against Him, or demand that He change for their sake, has failed utterly.

You thought you knew Me, but you didn’t. You thought you knew My will and purpose, but your conclusions were flawed and limited to your anecdotal understanding. You could have said, this is beyond us to comprehend. You could have humbled yourselves and admitted that this was beyond your capacity to perceive, but instead you took it upon yourselves to pass judgment, to draw conclusions, to insist that the way you saw the situation was the only way it could be, and that there could be no other explanation for what was happening to My servant Job than that which you surmised.

If you labor under the misconception that God will eventually see it your way, or that you’re so special that He will change His mind on things He has declared in His Word, you are in for a rude awakening. God doesn’t give in to peer pressure, because He has no peers. God does not side with the majority opinion, because He’s not looking to win an election. Once again, even at the risk of belaboring the point, He is God! He does as He wills, and there is nothing in heaven, on earth, or beyond the galaxy that can stand against Him. If God declared a thing, it is so, no matter how many rant and rage against it.

Our duty as sons and daughters of God is to humble ourselves, deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow after Jesus. Those who insist that those steps can be circumvented will one day stand before Him and be told that although they did many wonders in His name, including prophesying and casting out demons, He never knew them. It’s no small thing. It’s not negligible. Eternity hangs in the balance.

Does He know you? Not your title, not your bona fides, not how many churches you’ve planted or built, not how many sermons you’ve preached, not how many books you’ve authored, or how many hungry you’ve fed, but does He know you as one of His own, one who has been reborn, transformed, and sanctified by the power of His blood?

Do you know of Him, or do you have a relationship with Him? Do you serve out of fear or out of love? Is fellowship with Him your preeminent desire, or do you approach Him only when you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place with no way out of the situation you find yourself in? Does He know you?

Job’s three friends believed wholeheartedly that they had a handle on the situation, knew the mind of God, understood His ways, and were unabashed in declaring it. Only when God rebuked them and called out the folly of their judgments did they come to understand that His ways are not their ways, and His thought are not their thoughts. The same can be said of many today who insist God is something He never declared Himself to be. Rather than submit to the authority of Scripture, they double down on their conclusions, because to do otherwise would be to admit that they were wrong all along, and that is something they cannot abide.    

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXXLVIII

 Job 42:7-8, “And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.’”

When the dust has settled, the only thing that matters in this life is how God views you. How does God see you? What is His assessment of you? Not your friends, strangers, family, or the guy behind the deli counter trying to sell you expired bologna, but God and God alone.

Both Elihu and Job’s three friends had judged Job to be a wicked man deserving of punishment, a man who, although he had lost everything and was sitting in a pile of ashes scratching at himself with a potsherd they deemed wasn’t suffering commensurate with his sin. Yet, within the span of two verses, God called the selfsame man whom others believed to be a wicked hypocrite of the worst kind His servant no less than four times.

He made no such distinction regarding Elihu, Eliphaz, Bildad, or Zophar. He had not called them His servants; rather, He rebuked them, informing them that His wrath was aroused against them for having spoken of God things that were not right, in contrast to Job, who had.

It’s a heady thing having your entire worldview, the way you perceive God, and what you understand of Him be turned on its head in a heartbeat. Unlike His interaction with Job, God did not attempt to show the three friends where they had erred, or where they may have made assumptions that did not align with God’s wisdom, because the true intent and desire of their hearts was not to know the truth, but to bring Job low and get him to admit to wickedness he had never committed.

Some men God corrects lovingly, showing them areas in their lives that must be pruned, repented of, and realigned with His purpose, while others He stands before, arm outstretched like a crossing guard, and says, “Stop! Proceed no further; turn around, because this is not the path you should be walking, and if you insist on proceeding further, it will not end well for you.”

Within God’s rebuke of Job’s three friends, there is a twist that some may miss if their goal was simply to get done with the book and be on to the next, given that we’re so close to the finish line, and only a handful of verses remain before this forty-two-chapter journey is complete. Upon speaking directly to Eliphaz, God commanded that he and his two friends take for themselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to Job, and offer up for themselves a burnt offering. That was not the twist, but it came on the heels of this command: have Job pray for you, because Job’s prayer is the only prayer I will accept.

Could you imagine having to go to the person you’ve been judging and maligning for days on end, the person you’ve accused of being wicked beyond measure, the one you insisted knew nothing of God, or His purpose, and ask that they pray for you? This isn’t having to eat a slice of humble pie; it’s the pie in its entirety, crumbs and all.

It’s also in this that we see Job's true heart. God never wondered whether Job would pray for them; He knew that Job would, because though they had berated, maligned, and judged him harshly, Job’s heart was still pure, and serving God remained his singular desire.

A lesser man would have likely taken the opportunity to exact his revenge. A lesser man would have likely turned Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar away, showering them with platitudes and clichés such as you get what you deserve, or who’s the wicked one now, but Job didn’t.

Practical as it might be, the lesson is nevertheless profound: even when people hurt you, malign you, speak ill of you, judge you wrongly, despise you, and eagerly await your destruction, forgive them. I know, it’s easier said than done. I’ve had occasions where supposed friends and brothers did things so egregious that I had to force myself not to give in to bitterness and resentment. I had to pray not once or twice, but for extended periods, for God to search my heart and make sure there were no seeds of hatred or animosity waiting to sprout in the soil of my heart.

Even when they don’t ask for forgiveness, forgive. Even when they won’t admit wrong or fault, forgive. This doesn’t mean that the relationship will be as it was, or even that it can be repaired and restored, but what it does mean is that you don’t have the weight of unforgiveness pressing you into the dust of the earth every moment of every day.

If you believe it was no small thing for Job to now pray for the same three men who had been certain of his wickedness no more than a handful of minutes prior, try to put yourself in his shoes and be honest with yourself about how easy it would really be. They’d spent a considerable amount of time not trying to encourage, uplift, or comfort him, but trying to convince him that his entire life had been spent in ignorance, that his wickedness far surpassed that of the most reprobate men in society, and that his suffering wasn’t just deserved, but was less than he deserved.

They looked down on him, belittled him, made him question things he was certain of before they began their insistent diatribes, and now they were asking him to intercede with God on their behalf and pray for them, for it was only his prayer that God would acknowledge and accept.     

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXLVII

 You may need grace and mercy, but I surely don’t. I’m spiritually superior, don’t you see? I’m the apple of God’s eye, as a once-famous alcoholic televangelist was fond of saying. Sure, the Bible says there is no partiality with God; yes, we’re all equal, but come on, you and I both know that some are more equal than others. Unscrupulous men have created a caste system within the household of faith, and we’ve allowed it.

And yet, as we get a glimpse of the lives of those who came before us, the man whom God declared to be blameless and upright said, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes, because I have seen your glory with my eyes.”

The man to whom Christ said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” fell at His feet and declared, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

Is it just me, or do you get the sense that the modern crop of those who deem themselves spiritual leaders are needlessly and undeservingly arrogant? Is it just me, or is the pride, haughtiness, and conceit off-putting and unpalatable?

But you don’t get it; the figurehead of a ministry or a church has to have presence and charisma. They have to have swagger and flash; they have to look the part! Show that to me in the Bible, though. If you can, then sure, grab a Patek or Piguet off the shelf, and for the middle tier, perhaps a Rolex, or a TAG Heuer. Array yourself in fine linens, and do your best to look like some Arab sheik fresh off of signing a billion-dollar oil deal, but if those are not attributes to which the Bible says we should aspire, then cut it out.

At this point, the gullible and those who tend to idolize individuals rather than worship God and serve Jesus will angrily begin to shout ‘touch not God’s anointed’, even though that passage is taken out of context, and by the sheer absence of fruit, it’s questionable whether some of those who think so highly of themselves are God’s anointed to begin with. It’s an easy way to ensure there’s never any pushback, and that no one questions their lack of Christian living, isn’t it?

I’m God’s anointed, so you can’t touch me! But if your life does not reflect what you claim to be, is there any danger in challenging your view of yourself as one of God’s anointed? No, there isn’t, and it is our duty as believers, and those who comprise the body of Christ, to admonish and correct those who’ve taken it upon themselves to twist, mutilate, and distort the Word of God for their own selfish gain.

Yes, there are noble pastors, shepherds, preachers, and evangelists, but more often than not they’re not the flashy sort. It’s far easier to wrap a piece of coal with a shiny piece of foil that draws the eye than endure the pressure required for the coal to become a diamond. Diamonds don’t need wrapping. They don’t need fancy boxes. They stand out all on their own. It is because of what they are that they are exposed to the light, so all can behold their brilliance. Nobody buys a diamond sight unseen. Nobody purchases the box hoping there’s a diamond inside.

Unlike Beanie Babies, or any of a hundred other flash-in-the-pan must-have things that came and went, a diamond retains its value without influencers shilling it, insisting you click their link for an extra-special discount.

Scripture is truth. It is the diamond. It retains its value and relevance from generation to generation, and those who strive to discover it are never disappointed, let down, or feel as though they were underwhelmed by the treasures contained therein. It has the power to enlighten, transform, challenge, correct, and instruct, without decreasing in its potency, because it is the Word of God, and remains constant and unchanging as God Himself is.

Ephesians 3:14-19, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

This was Paul’s heartfelt desire for the church at Ephesus: not to form cliques, castes, or hierarchies, but that together, as one, they would comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height of God. To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, and be filled with all the fullness of God. How can one know God without knowing His word? How can one follow God when men are all they seem to want to follow?

Does Christ dwell in your heart through faith? Are you being strengthened with might through His Spirit? These are the relevant questions we must ask ourselves consistently, not whether this denomination is better than that, or who the next luminary that the world will foist upon a pedestal will be. Let nothing distract you from intimacy with God. Not men, not denominations, not fringe ideologies, or tertiary doctrinal issues. The goal is to be filled with the fullness of God, and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, not shill for a particular individual and defend them even when their actions become indefensible.

Man is flawed; God is not. If your desire is to know God, go directly to the source. Go to Scripture, and devour it like a starving man who's been out to sea for a month with no food would devour the first meal after his rescue. Do you think such a man cares whether he uses the proper fork, or if his napkin should be on his lap or tucked under his shirt collar? No. He’s starving, and all pretense of propriety flies out the window at the sight and smell of food.

Read your Bible as often as you can, wherever you can, even if it’s for fifteen minutes on your lunch break, or waiting in the lobby for your dentist appointment. There is no place or time more special than the other; you don’t need to be sitting in an atrium, accompanied by a symphony, in a leather-backed chair to read Scripture; the cab of your pickup will do just as well. Food is food, whether it comes in a wrapper, from a food truck, a greasy spoon, or a Michelin-starred restaurant. And, unlike the food we eat, whose ingredients may be suspect, the Word of God is never spoiled, rotten, or of unknown origins. It is always pure and nourishing to the spiritual man.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Job CCCXLVI

Little is said of obedience nowadays. It goes against the grain of modern thinking, wherein everyone is right in their own eyes, everyone’s opinion is the only opinion that matters, and, twisting Scripture as some are fond of doing, many have concluded that if they must still obey the will of God, submit to the plan and purpose of God, and deny themselves, then their freedom is an illusion.

You’re a little god, baby. Your will is supreme, your plans are what matter most, and even if they stand in stark opposition to the plan of God, all you need do is set your jaw and, by sheer will alone, push against the mountainside until the mountain itself gives way.

Why take the time to ask God what His will is when you already know what your will is? Why take the time to listen for His voice, His direction, His unction, His instruction, when you can make it up on the fly, and be zip codes further along your preplanned route at the end of the day?

We have so elevated ourselves in our eyes that some deem it perfectly acceptable to set themselves against the will of God, thinking they know better, or that their will countermands God’s own will. Even while doing it, even while setting ourselves in diametrical opposition to God’s will, we come up with the oddest excuses for our rebellion, because the outcome, as far as we’re concerned, is already a foregone conclusion: we are right, we will always be right, and nothing can change our minds about the reality of our own rightness.

We are seeing the effects of this type of hubris in the physical, which mirrors the spiritual. It’s largely why people hesitate to hire the younger generation for any task, because they’re simply unwilling to follow instructions and do as they’re told. They think they know better, and even though they’ve gone through the training program, and told what they need to do, and the tasks they need to perform to remain gainfully employed, they still do as they will, causing issue and disruption so regularly that those in charge of productivity or the smooth continuity of whatever business they’re in have no choice but to let them go.

Even when the reason for their dismissal is plainly presented to them, they still create their own narrative insisting that the boss felt threatened, was jealous, or couldn’t see the genius of their approach in revamping a business that has been operating for nearing on a century, and successfully so.

We’ve become enamored with the idea of change for change’s sake, trying to fix what isn’t broken while ignoring the things that are, because it’s easier by far to lament what could have been had everything worked out the way we thought it would than roll up one’s sleeves and actually try to fix a problem.

This morning I was in Luke chapter 5 during my quiet time, and for those without perfect recall, it’s the story of the first miracle Simon Peter ever witnessed, one that was relatable to him since he was a fisherman by trade.

Jesus stood by the lake of Gennesaret, teaching the word of God, and the crowd began to press in. Seeing two boats by the lakeshore, He got into one of them and asked the man whose boat it was to put out a little from the land.

From the onset, there were two boats, but Jesus picked Simon’s boat to get into. Do you believe for an instant that this was coincidence? Did Jesus flip a coin when deciding whose boat he would get into?

God’s plan for your life started long before you were aware of it. God’s plan and purpose for you began while you were still in your mother’s womb. Jesus knew whose boat it was. He did not pick it randomly or by accident, and after speaking to the crowd, he told Simon to launch out into the deep and let his nets out for a catch.

Luke 5:5, “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

Ask any avid fisherman, and they can tell you they know when the fish are biting and when they aren’t. They know where to cast, what bait to use, each having their favorite spot from where to fish, anchored by the memories of past outings when the catch was plentiful. Peter knew his business. He knew when the time was right to go fishing, and when it would have been nothing more than wasted effort on his part.

His reasoning mind, his logical side, had concluded that launching into the deep and letting his nets out for a catch wouldn’t amount to much, and even said as such, his hesitation plain. Yet, his desire to be obedient overshadowed his doubt, and he said, “nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.”

I’ve tried this thing on my own already, and it didn’t pan out. I did everything you’re supposed to do to ensure a bountiful catch, and nothing came of it. We’ve toiled all night and caught nothing, but because You say to do it again, I will.

Anecdotal evidence and past experiences inevitably shape our future actions. We’ve even coined a term for it: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The difference between Simon toiling all night and having no success, and doing it anew, is that this time Jesus told him to do it.

Peter likely thought nothing would come of this endeavor, but because Jesus had said it, he nevertheless relented and did as he was asked.

Luke 5:6-8, “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”’

Had he not obeyed, Peter would have never seen the miracle with his own eyes. Had he not done what Jesus asked him to do, all he’d have is an empty boat and a story he could tell his friends about how Jesus had asked him to launch out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch, which only meant that Jesus didn’t know much about fishing.

Men have come up with the wildest theories regarding what it takes to have a breakthrough in one’s life. They’ve complicated it to the point that they put on weeklong seminars, sell instruction manuals, and pen endless books, when all it takes is simple obedience. Do what God tells you to, even if it seems counterintuitive. Obey, even when you think nothing will come of it, because this time it’s different than all the other times, not because you’re older and wiser, not because you’ve been training for it, but because the One who spoke the universe into being commanded you to do it.

Then, having obeyed, seeing that your nets are full to bursting, and your boat is about to sink for all the fish you’ve caught, have the humility to acknowledge that it wasn’t you, your wisdom, your ingenuity, or ability, or your tenacity, but that it was all Him.

The pattern is undeniable. Whether Simon Peter or Job, once they saw the wondrous hand of God, once His plan and purpose were revealed to them, they could not help but be humbled into the dust and acknowledge the power, holiness, and omnipotence of God.  

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Job CCCXLV

 Good intentions without follow-through are nothing more than wishful thinking. I know it may sound harsh, but it is nevertheless the truth. You know it, I know it; we just have to admit it to ourselves and do something about it. We can tell ourselves otherwise, trying to mollify our burdened conscience, but if we know what we ought to be doing and delay doing it, it risks becoming chronic procrastination.

Timing matters. If I know I have to pay my electric bill by the 27^th of the month, but I only get around to doing it on the fifteenth of next month, it should come as no surprise that I get hit with a late payment fee, and if it goes on for much longer than that, then dinner by candlelight and spoiling food in the now dormant refrigerator is not outside the realm of possibility.

Not only is procrastination counterproductive, but it is also dangerous to our spiritual progress. Tomorrow becomes next week, next week becomes next month, and by the time we know it, years have passed, and that Bible we had planned on reading from cover to cover, even having bought the multi-color highlighter pens to underline the passages that stood out, has an inch-thick layer of dust, and if we had to find it, we would be hard pressed to remember what room we left it in.

You can’t get back wasted time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and you’re one year older, a little grayer, the wrinkles more pronounced, and the only thing you can do is break the cycle and set about doing what you’ve determined to do without delay. Even wallowing in regret, thinking of how far along we could have been had we started when we’d purposed to, is in itself a form of procrastination.

If I’d started my diet last year, I would be at my goal weight today, but I didn’t, and I’m not, and rather than dwelling on it for another year, there’s no better time than the present. There will never be a perfect time to start doing something that requires exertion on our part, or demands that we stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone. Rather than focus on the difficulty of the task itself, focus on the results and understand what the end of the journey will look like instead of the beginning; that can, in and of itself, motivate you to focus, press in, take that first step, and keep moving forward.

Every moment spent with God will deepen your understanding of Him. Every moment spent in Scripture will more firmly establish your foundation and stretch your faith. It is inevitable that there will be growth; it is inevitable that there will be forward momentum; it is inevitable that you will graduate past the milk stage to the meat stage, the more you devote yourself to the things of God.

Those who insist that they’ve plateaued, or feel like they’re spinning their wheels when it comes to spiritual growth, just aren’t putting in enough time and effort to get alone with the Word, study it for themselves, and meditate on the profundity of what it reveals.

Although up until this point Job confesses that he’d only heard of God by the hearing of the ear, it did nothing to dampen his desire to know God more fully, spend time in His presence, and devote himself to being pleasing in His sight. All his years of devotion, prayer, supplication, and striving to be an upright and blameless man had brought him to this, wherein he was no longer hearing of God by the hearing of his ear, but seeing Him with his eye.

Does this mean God appeared bodily to Job and his three friends? No. What it does mean is that Job’s understanding of God was stretched beyond the point of a conceptual deity, some formless omnipotent, omnipresent power that did as it willed, to seeing Him fleshed out, and understanding His character, His love, His compassion, and His mercy. He saw the righteousness of God on full display and could come to no other conclusion than to abhor himself and repent in dust and ashes.

It’s the difference between hearing about God and having a personal experience with Him. Men hear about God every day, and some are so stiff-necked and brittle that they don’t give Him a second thought. Others may even acknowledge that there is something greater than them in this great big universe of ours, but they fall short of understanding who He is, thereby refusing to humble themselves and repent.

Job had heard, but now he saw the glory, majesty, and holiness of the God he served, and though God deemed him blameless, though he was one of one in his generation as far as uprightness is concerned, in contrast to God’s holiness, Job abhorred himself.

Men have a tendency to compare themselves to those with different flaws than their own, and deem themselves more righteous because they do not share them. That’s not to say they don’t have their own flaws, but while their flaws are permissible to themselves, the flaws they do not exhibit that others do are the ones they tend to focus on because it makes them righteous in their own eyes. We can play that game, especially given the ego boost that’s likely to occur at seeing ourselves superior in some way, but to what end?

A man whom God deemed blameless abhorred himself when he beheld the holiness of God. A man whom God deemed upright repented in dust and ashes, not because he wasn’t what God deemed him to be, but because even he fell short of the holiness of God, and knew it to be the case.

Unlike the Pharisee, Job did not see another man’s shortcoming or sin as evidence of his own worthiness, nor did he point to his friends and insist he was not like them. He humbled himself before the righteousness of God and repented in dust and ashes. It is one of the many worthwhile lessons we can glean from the life of Job, one that will serve us throughout our lives here on earth if only we would apply it to ourselves. Tend to your own garden, pluck your own weeds, focus on your relationship with the God and Creator of all that is, because when you stand before Him on that day of days, you will be held accountable for you, and I will be held accountable for me.             

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXLIV

 Whenever our garage starts looking like an abandoned homeless encampment, my wife starts dropping hints. It’s nothing egregious, at least as far as I’m concerned, empty delivery boxes, pots and pans that have outlived their usefulness, the slow cooker that decided to give up the ghost after two decades of faithful service, but things that don’t bother me bother her, and if I don’t get the hint the first couple of times, the hints become more on the nose.

I had a couple of hours to spare recently, when there were no children to shuttle to and from music class, or swim, or dance, or theater, or any of the dozen other things that have become the norm as opposed to how I grew up, and I decided to clean the garage, cut down some boxes, take it all to the curb and wait for the garbage man to do his thing.

Amidst the clutter, I found three packs of wildflower seeds I remember buying with the girls a few months back; at the time, it was something we really needed, couldn’t do without, and with the insistence that they would get planted the instant we arrived home, I relented and purchased them. There they were, still intact, at the bottom of a grocery bag someone assumed was empty and threw in the garage, and wouldn’t you know it, having sat in their packs all this time, none had sprouted; there were no wildflowers blooming, just three packs of inert seed waiting for someone to plant them.

Since it’s already too late into the season to do anything about it, I set them aside and promised to remind myself that come next spring we would be out in the yard sprinkling seeds into the dirt and seeing what comes of it.

To those who plant, tend, and harvest regularly, the following is so obvious as to demand an eye roll, but a seed is just a seed until it is planted in the soil. All those beautiful leather-bound Bibles we have strewn around the house cannot feed the soul or take root in the heart until they’re cracked open, read, and meditated upon.

Even though we live in a time when access to the Word of God is, by far, the easiest of any generation that has come before us, we also live in a time when ignorance of God’s word is at an all-time high. A Bible sitting on the shelf does nothing for your spiritual man, just as seeds sitting in a packet in the garage will never bloom and become what they were intended to be.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Whether intended for doctrine, reproof, correction, or instruction in righteousness, without being consumed, without being planted in the heart, Scripture cannot do its work; it cannot produce the fruit it is specifically intended to produce.

God speaks to us through His word far more often than through prophecy, dreams, visions, or divine revelation. Scripture is the primary source of our understanding of God and His will, and what’s more, it is what establishes doctrine and determines whether something is true or a lie. At times, as we read Scripture, He gives us exactly what we need at that moment in our lives, whether it’s reproof, correction, or instruction in righteousness. If you’ve ever read a passage you’ve likely read fifty other times, but this time it hits different, and the meaning is something you hadn't considered before, it is God speaking to you directly through His word.

Sometimes one verse is such a comfort that you can’t help but shed tears of gratitude. At other times, a passage is so revelatory and enlightening that you can’t help but say, as Job did, that I did not know this until You revealed it to me.

There’s what the Bible says, then there’s what people say the Bible says, and the two are not always in harmony or aligned. The only way to know what the Bible says is to read it for yourself, not once in a blue moon, but every day, as though it were food for your soul, because it is.

Job did not understand the full breadth, width, and depth of God, but what little he understood kept him from abandoning his integrity or giving in to bitterness and disillusionment. Job himself admitted to not understanding and not knowing things too wonderful for him, but he was a man committed to serving God and desired to grow in his relationship with Him.

The attitude, passion, and focus with which we pursue God and study His word matter, because the more of Him we discover, the more of Him we will desire to know. If your copy of Tom Clancy is more dog-eared than your Bible is, that’s a problem whether you choose to admit it or not.

We have what Job did not; we have Scripture at our fingertips, only an arm’s length away, we have countless commentaries spanning centuries, we have all the tools we need to be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work, and yet, so many fumble, stumble, get frustrated, and resentful because they refuse to take the time, be still, and delve into the Word for themselves.

The will of God is made clear to all in His word. The way in which man must go is likewise clearly defined. It’s when we refuse to submit and obey, when we allow the voices of men to drown out the voice of God, that confusion is a constant companion, and what should be simple to understand becomes muddled, a Gordian knot of gigantic proportions we endlessly try to untangle.

Because it is to their benefit, some who claim to be leaders of men and shepherds of God’s flock do their utmost to keep the confusion and uncertainty at a low simmer, because it keeps the masses dependent on them, rather than discovering true freedom. There is nothing more liberating in this life than to know that God is there, He listens, He sees, and He knows, and that I do not require a middleman to go before Him in humility and sincerity of heart and form a relationship with Him.  

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXLIII

 In the life of every believer, there is a before and an after. There was a time when we were without understanding, but no longer. There was a time when we were without hope, but no longer. There was a time when we were dead in our trespasses, but now we have become alive in Christ. Perhaps there was even a time when, as Job, we spoke without understanding, and uttered things we did not understand, things too wonderful for us, which we did not know, but that was the before. It was before we surrendered, repented, humbled ourselves, and picked up our crosses to follow Him. It was before we denied ourselves, relinquished the illusion of control, and determined that we would follow wherever He led, we would obey whatever He spoke, and we would strive to be those good and faithful servants whom He will one day reward and welcome into His kingdom.

There is a turning point in the life of every soul who has been saved by the redemptive power of the blood of Christ. If you ask it of them, even decades later, those who have found peace, hope, and joy in Jesus can pinpoint and recall the day, the hour, even the minute this occurred, when the scales were removed from their eyes, the shackles removed from their wrists, the prison doors opened, and they were made free. No matter what one might achieve, how prominent they become, how well known or successful, that is the defining moment of their existence. They acknowledge the reality that once they were lost but are now found, blind but now they see, ignorant of the ways of God, but now possessing understanding of His love and grace.

Had Job been a proud man, he could have insisted he’d already known all the things God had said. He could have waved off the things he’d heard, failing to acknowledge that he’d uttered things he did not understand that were too wonderful for him, but Job’s heart remained true, and when God spoke he listened, and he was not reticent in confessing his lack of understanding.  

In a time when everyone pretends to know everything about everything, it’s becoming rare to find someone who will acknowledge their shortcomings or lack of understanding on a given topic. Even when their insistence that they knew what they didn’t know is proven demonstrably false, they will double down and insist that it’s not the case.

Diesel doesn’t go in a gasoline engine; that’s why your car’s not running. Oh, I knew that! Then why did you put diesel in your car? Shoulder shrug, roll of the eyes, and that’s that. It’s become harder to make that particular mistake since they’ve changed the nozzles and the ones for diesel are thicker than the ones for gasoline, but you’d be surprised at the lengths to which people will go to do something foolish, all the while insisting that they knew better.

Know what you don’t know and don’t pretend otherwise. When understanding comes, when what you didn’t know is revealed to you, be humble enough to acknowledge it and thank God for His grace and mercy in having shown it to you.

Lately, my daughters have gotten into slingshots. Granted, in hindsight it wasn’t the best idea, what with the windows and all, but they enjoy it enough that the constant dread of hearing a clay ball going through the kitchen window is worth it to me. As children are wont to do, the moment I brought the slingshots home, they grabbed them and started fumbling to see how they work.

I asked them for a minute of their time, showed them the proper way to hold it, load the clay ball into the sling, aim, pull back, and fire, to which the eldest quickly retorted, “Oh, I knew that!” Given that the rubber band had almost hit her in the face not once but twice in the little time she was trying to figure out how it worked, I was somewhat skeptical, but I let it go because it wasn’t worth the back and forth.

Sometime later, after they’d run through half a bag of clay balls trying to hit a target I’d taped to the back fence, Victoria walks into the house and says, “Daddy, thank you for showing us how the slingshots work. I didn’t really know how to use it, after all.”

My heart beamed with pride, not because she was thanking me for doing something that is my parental duty, but because she was humble enough to acknowledge that she hadn’t known something, was humble enough to receive instruction, and was the better for it in the end.

When God corrects us, it’s not to berate us, shame us, make us feel inferior, or belittle us. He corrects us with the singular desire to see us walking in His way, and showing us the means by which we can mature, grow our faith, and become the warriors we always said we wanted to be.

God corrected Job, and Job received correction as it was intended, not as something to be despised, rejected, or dismissed, but as a sign of His love and mercy.

Hebrews 12:5-9, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son who He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?”

I’m a girl dad. As I often say to my wife, if they were boys it would be different, from my tone to the level of correction I would have to employ, but I’m a girl dad. I have two wonderful, beautiful, bubbly, happy, independent daughters, both of whom inherited a double portion of sarcasm from yours truly. Each is unique in her own right, and as their father, I know the level of discipline, correction, and chastening each of them requires for the message to get through. More often than not, one raised eyebrow is enough for the eldest to take a breath and assess her actions. At the same time, her younger sister usually requires a conversation to get the point and take accountability for her actions.

Not all chastening is the same across the board. Not all correction is cookie-cutter, for while some require the mildest of rebukes to correct their behavior, others require a harsher response to their choices in order for them to see the error of their ways. God knows not only how many hairs you have on your head, but also your character, how you respond to conflict, what is required for Him to get through to you, and treats you as the individual you are.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.