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.  

Job CCCXLII

 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Given that these words were penned some two thousand years ago, it’s not a new problem. There have always been those who took it upon themselves to color outside the lines, to believe things contrary to what the Word of God and the teachings of the apostles clearly stated, and John felt the need to reiterate something obvious yet, for some, simultaneously difficult to grasp: not every spirit is of God! Not every dream is of divine origin, nor does every dream have some revelatory meaning. Not every experience one has is automatically of divine origin, nor does every experience originate from God.

It is incumbent upon us, as individuals, to test the spirits not via the prism of our understanding, inclination, or predisposition but via the prism of God’s word. It has the final say-so. It is the final authority, and no matter how much one might want to believe they played rock, paper, scissors with God while sitting on His lap, the Word says it is an impossibility; therefore, it did not happen, and if it did, it wasn’t God!

I’m not so much denying that someone had an experience. What I am unequivocally denying is that it was of divine origin, that it was of God, or that God went against His own established Word because he was so desperate for someone to comb His beard.

Whether out of ignorance of the source, or a tacit and willful cooperation with evil matters not as far as those who are caught in their web are concerned, only their individual punishment and the severity thereof. Yes, I believe, in His wisdom God views those unwittingly deceived, and those willingly doing the bidding of Satan, having pledged their allegiance to him, differently. While one who is deceived may see the way of truth given time, and acknowledge the error of their ways, one who has knowingly embraced the darkness is far less apt to be redirected.

Your duty as well as mine is to be wise, sober-minded, and test the spirits to see their origin, to see from whence they come, and what their intentions are. Our wanting to believe something happened cannot override the truth, nor the means by which the truth is attained.

Whether out of boredom, instinct, or hunger, when the wolf slaughters the sheep, the sheep are still as dead regardless of motive.  

Job’s second statement is equally as profound as his first: no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. The God who knows the end from the beginning has a purpose in all things and for all things, even if we cannot clearly see it or define it. Just because I can’t see what’s on the other side of the valley, or past the mountain range before me, doesn’t mean nothing else exists beyond them.

If God purposes a thing, that thing will come to pass no matter what forces array themselves against it, or how insistently the influential and powerful might protest, and attempt to avoid it. No purpose of God’s, whether for an individual or a nation, can be withheld from Him, and when He declares a thing, nothing man can do can stand in the way of fulfilling His divine plan.

You try to stand in the way of an oncoming hurricane, and do your best to keep from being swept away, but you’ll still be swept away. Job understood that man cannot stand against the plan of God and succeed. He understood that God’s purpose will prevail, even if entire armies array themselves against it. We either submit to the will of God, or resist it. Those are the only two options afforded to us. It’s in knowing the nature of the God we serve that we can have peace in the midst of the storm. It’s in the awareness that He is a good Father that we do not rage, rebel, or grow indignant during the trials of life, because God sees beyond today into tomorrow and knows what the future holds in ways we cannot hope to.

My wife is a hawk when it comes to what our daughters eat. From the moment they were able to verbalize their dismay, there were conversations aplenty as to why the other kids at school brought such culinary delights as Sour Patch Kids, Nerds, Oreos, Doritos, and Twinkies for their snacks, while they were relegated to slices of apple, grapes, pears, figs, and other less appetizing fare. The hard no on soda pop almost caused a civil war, but my wife held her ground, and their palate molded itself to the healthier fare she offered.

A few weeks ago, our oldest ran into a girl she’d gone to kindergarten with as we walked around the lake in our town. It was a chance encounter, and although they're the same age, the other girl looks very different. It’s not so much that Victoria noticed her size, and yes, I know, I’m not one to talk, but this girl was husky to put it mildly. Barring a medical condition, which this girl did not have, if your twelve-year-old is wearing adult-size XXL clothing, you may have failed in your mission to watch what they eat. What Victoria did notice was the acne that covered her face, another byproduct of a steady diet of chemicals, food dyes, and ingredients most adults can’t pronounce. On the drive home, she tapped my wife on the shoulder from the backseat and said, “Thank you, momma.”

“For what?” my wife asked, genuinely curious, to which Victoria answered, “Just thank you.”

I’d seen her reaction upon meeting her kindergarten friend after all these years, and I knew exactly what she was thanking my wife for.

You and I may not currently see the benefits of the chastening, or the trials we are going through, but one day, when we are mature enough, when enough time has passed, when the suffering of this present time is eclipsed by the glory that will be revealed in us, we will have no choice but to thank Him. When understanding finally dawns, we will fall to our knees and thank God for His mercy, His love, His grace, His correction, as well as for the trials that matured us and grew our faith. It may not be today, but it will surely come to pass one day.  

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXLI

Job 42:1-6, “Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

It took forty-two chapters, but Job finally comes to his epiphany. Some men take far longer to reach this monumental realization that shifts the perspective of everything else in one’s life, namely that God can do everything. There is no purpose of His that can be withheld from Him, and others, in their stubborn stiff-neckedness, never do, insisting until their last breath that they are in control, the masters of their destiny, and the captains of their ship. They fail to understand that whether they accept the reality that God does as He wills, and no purpose of His can be withheld from Him, or they kick against the goads, resist Him, and throw fists at their own shadows in frustration, God will still have His way.

There are two distinct statements in Job’s first sentence as he begins to answer God. The first is his profound realization that God can do everything. He didn’t say he thought, hoped, believed, or presumed God can do everything; he knew. Deep down in the marrow of his bones, without doubt or equivocation, Job knew that God can do everything.

That statement alone is more profound than one might think, especially given the spiritual confusion blanketing the contemporary church. On the one side, you have individuals who insist that God has a governor of sorts, in that they can declare things that are not within the parameters of God’s will for them, and somehow God is compelled to do as they demand. That would mean that God is beholden to the whims and wants of men, and if I declare a thing, He is honor-bound to make it happen. To such individuals, God’s will and purpose are not supreme; they are arbitrary and only come into play as long as His will and their will coincide.

It’s tempting, isn’t it, the idea that I can declare a thing and it must be so regardless of God’s will or purpose. There was even a book, and merch to go along with this premise, by a self-styled Texas pastor who will remain unnamed. I’m sure you can Google it.

The will of God is supreme. You can declare until you’re blue in the face, and if that is not God’s will for you, all you’ll end up with is bitterness and resentment, because unlike Job you have not come to the understanding that not only can God do everything, but no purpose of His can be withheld from Him.

On the other side of the coin, you have those who outright deny God’s authority and ability to do everything, insisting that whatever they’ve decided no longer applies to this modern age is something that God can no longer do. I’ve heard it, as have we all, and each time it’s as cringeworthy as the last: God doesn’t do that anymore! Says who? Did God say it? If He didn’t, then don’t assume or presume to know the mind of God, and declare something He never did.

It runs the gamut, and once you begin to think about how many things men say God doesn’t do or can’t do anymore, it’s frightening how often the attempt to supplant and appropriate the authority of God is made.

I know you can do everything! No carveouts, no addendums, no exceptions, no limitations; everything means everything. Yes, due to our own limitations, we sometimes have difficulty grasping the reality that God can do everything, but my inability to run a five-minute mile does not mean that no one else could ever run a five-minute mile. It has been proven and documented that some, albeit a finite number, can indeed run a five-minute mile. So an appropriate response to the reality of the situation ought to be, I can’t do it, but I know it’s possible, because others have.

Then, by your own logic, you can’t dismiss any of the claims people have made of being teleported to heaven in a porta-potty or visiting ice cream land for a double scoop of mint chocolate chip. Not so. While it is possible for someone to run a five-minute mile, they must still run it. If they rode a bike, they are disqualified. If they used a motorcycle to get to the mile marker in less than five minutes, they are disqualified. They must attempt the feat on foot, as everyone who accomplished it before them did.

There are rules set forth that were established since the beginning, and they cannot be broken, ignored, brushed off, or countermanded.

Exodus 33:17-20, “So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight and I know you by name.'” And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”’

That’s the rule, clear as day, and if God would not break it for one such as Moses, He will not break it for anyone. Our desire for new experiences cannot make us turn a blind eye or disregard the order God has established in His word. To do so is to court and invite the one who masquerades as an angel of light to sow chaos, deceit, and confusion.  

With love in Christ.

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Job CCCXL

 Job 41:23-34, “The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him and cannot be moved. His heart is as hard as stone, even as hard as the lower millstone. When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; because of his crashings they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail. Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him. Darts are regarded as straw; he laughs at the threat of javelins. His undersides are like sharp potsherds; he spreads pointed marks in the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair. On earth there is nothing like him, which is made without fear. He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”

If even one such as Job, whom God deemed blameless and upright, could not justify himself before God, what hope do we have? What hope do we have of standing in our own righteousness? What hope do we have of working our way into heaven? What hope do we have of standing before the all-knowing God and maker of all that is, the Creator who spoke the behemoth and leviathan into being, and insisting that it was by our machinations, labors, the traditions we held to, or rites and rituals we practiced that we are worthy and deserving of being welcomed into His kingdom?

It is not man who justifies himself before God; it is God who justifies man by the faith one exhibits in the sacrifice and atoning power of the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus. Does this mean we ought not to strive? No, Jesus Himself said that we must strive to enter through the narrow gate. Does this mean we ought not to be holy? No, God Himself said that we ought to be holy, for He is holy. It’s not an either-or proposition.

What it does mean is that all our striving, all our perceived holiness, would not tip the scales in our favor without the grace, mercy, love, and redemption of the God we serve, who facilitated our being reconciled to Him anew through what Jesus did on the cross.

It’s not works salvation; there’s no such thing, but by the same token, faith without works is dead, as the Book also states. True faith compels us to be active in our pursuit of sanctification. It will not allow us to be sedate and stagnant, or remain in the sorry state Jesus found us in.

Faith is transformative. If the faith a man claims to have does nothing to draw him closer to God, compel repentance, and create a hunger for more of Him, then it is not true faith but words spoken on the wind.

James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

Millennia before James penned these words, Job was practicing them. By his own words, he never turned away the hungry, the poor, or the downtrodden; he went out of his way to care for the widow and the orphan, and his heart was always tender toward those in need. Likewise, he feared God and shunned evil, committing his ways to the Lord. Even so, Job could not justify himself.

When it comes to this topic, there are two distinct camps: the first is to raise a hand, then stare at your navel for the rest of your days, because by the raising of the hand and the saying of a prayer you’ve secured your place in eternity. The second is to whip oneself into a frenzy, endlessly checking off boxes of performative tasks someone told you must be completed, even if your heart’s not in it and you’re just going through the motions. Usually the motivation isn’t love or a desire for more of God, but a ritualistic sort of muscle memory, like brushing your teeth in the morning or taking a shower when you get home from work.

When Job cared for the poor, it was not performative. When he fed the hungry, it wasn’t hoping someone would see him doing it. When he cared for the widow and the orphan, it wasn’t for brownie points, but a sincere desire to be a comfort and a source of joy. He did these things because they were the right thing to do, and not because he believed doing them would make him holier. Nobody had to force Job’s hand to do good; nobody had to twist his arm or present him with the choice between a carrot and a stick. His relationship with God framed his worldview in such a way that if he could be a comfort, a help, the means by which the hungry could be fed and the naked clothed, he did not hesitate.  

James 2:18, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

If man is undone at the sight of God’s creation, how much more so ought he be before the God who created them? If one feels small standing before the behemoth or the leviathan, how much smaller ought he feel standing before God? The evidently similar reactions to the presence of God we see throughout the Bible are not the exceptions; they are the norm. This is how creation rightly reacts when presented with its Creator, not flippantly, arrogantly, or laissez-faire, but with reverence, holy fear, and a vivid knowledge of how insignificant we are in the presence of His infinite power.

We are precious in God’s sight because He deemed it so.     

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXXXIX

 Job 41:12-22, “I will not conceal his limbs, his mighty power, or his graceful proportions. Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around? His rows of scales are his pride, shut up tightly as with a seal; one is so near another that no air can come between them; they are joined one to another, they stick together and cannot be parted. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lights; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth. Strength dwells in his neck, and sorrow dances before him.”

You can tell when someone is passionate about a given topic and when they’re just phoning it in. It doesn’t take long to conclude whether the individual in question knows what they’re talking about or they’re just hoping a pointless word salad absent substance will be enough to convince you of their imagined body of knowledge.

Whether it’s birds, cars, the different species of wildlife in a given area, or regional history, someone’s true passion for the topic shines through, whether they mean for it to do so or not. I’ve heard plenty of sermons where passion was so lacking that it was obvious the preacher was just doing his job. Scroll down the iPad, going through the bullet points of a canned sermon, sprinkle in a joke or two, and take up the offering at the end. Another week, another paycheck, and to them that’s all that it was: a job.

The crowd’s reaction, or lack thereof, was of little concern, as were the raised eyebrows when they tried to imply something the biblical text obviously did not allude to; but they pressed on, delivered their twenty-five-minute sermon, unperturbed or unaffected by the absence of impact or spiritual unction.

I’ve also had the honor of being in services where the preacher was passionate about God, the things of God, the ways of God, and the Word of God. You could see the passion in their demeanor, in their eyes, and in the words they spoke, giving them the respect they deserved as being God’s message to His creation, inspired, profound, and impactful, because they followed the urging of the Holy Spirit and not some words they’d scratched on a piece of paper.

You can always tell when there is passion behind an action, and in God’s detailing of the leviathan, one can’t help but notice how passionate He is about His creation. It’s akin to starting up a conversation with a bona fide car guy, who can go on for days about how an engine works, and why you need to change the spark plugs because two out of four are misfiring. While you’re trying to figure out what a spark plug is, he’s painstakingly explaining combustion to you, and all you can do is stand there, listen, and absorb.

Nothing God has created, nothing He spoke into existence, was thrown together haphazardly. There was no moment during the process of creation when God shrugged His shoulders and said, good enough, that’ll do, or the oft-repeated, perfect is the enemy of the good. When God beheld what He had created and said, “it is good,” His version of Good is perfection, for nothing else would suffice.

Take any of God’s myriad of creations, whether a beast of the air, a beast of the sea, and everything in between, and He can tell you why He fashioned them the way He did, all the detail that went into it, and how it was created in such a way as to coexist with the ecosystem to which it was assigned.

But sure, it was all an accident, a serendipitous quirk of the universe where everything from a microbe to a cell to chromosomes to behemoths and leviathans had a purpose and was created with such specificity as to boggle the mind. It’s easy enough to say something that dumb, but far harder to back it up with any reason or logic.

Even those who lean on the crutch of evolution to explain the majesty of creation can’t come up with a viable explanation as to how everything evolved so perfectly. You’ve never seen a zebra with gills, or a tiger with flippers, a dolphin with hooves, or a seal with horns, but sure, it was all by accident, perfectly aligned and put together, but by accident.

Absence of evidence exists only in the minds of those who refuse to open their eyes and acknowledge God’s design in all that surrounds them. It is the refuge of the dull-witted, and those who suffer from god complexes, because to admit that there is One greater than them, One who created them, and put bone upon bone, and sinew atop those bones, One who is responsible for the spark of life that animates them, is to acknowledge God Himself, and be confronted with the reality that one day they will have to stand before Him.

It is unlikely that Job ever saw a leviathan up close and personal, but God’s vivid description of His creation paints a word picture so clear that one can close their eyes and imagine the size, scope, majesty, and ferocity of this beast of the deep. This wasn’t a sketch or an outline; it wasn’t an ink blot where one can imagine whatever they will if they stare at it long enough, but a detailed account of what went into its creation and the minute details that went into its forging.

We may sing songs about serving an awesome God, and about Him being a God of wonder, but can our feeble minds ever truly grasp the extent of His majesty? Are we even able to perceive His greatness while in these husks of flesh? We can get a glimpse from time to time, but as far as the fullness thereof, I do believe we fall short. We worship Him because He is worthy, far beyond what we can comprehend, and the knowledge that this infinite, indescribable, omnipotent God loves us should be more humbling still.       

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXXXVIII

 Job 41:1-11, “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you leash him for your maidens? Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hand on him; remember the battle – never do it again! Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.” 

Other than offering Elihu a backhanded rebuke, God had thus far addressed none of the others who thought themselves wiser, of greater understanding, and more righteous than Job. God’s words were laser-focused on the man everyone had written off, discarded, avoided, and judged as being wicked, stubborn, and unwilling to admit to the sin he had surely committed.

When God does eventually get around to answering Job’s friends, it isn’t an answer to their prayers and supplications, as was the case with Job, but a rebuke for the words they spoke in haste, without understanding what was taking place. God’s conversation with Job is an answer to prayer. God’s address to Job’s friends is a rebuke and condemnation of their words and actions. The two are not the same.  

It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: what men think of you, how men see you, how men judge you, is irrelevant; how God views you is all that matters. The desire of one’s heart ought not to center on how best to be pleasing in their sight, but to be pleasing in God’s sight. It is He who is the judge over His creation. It is He who weighs the hearts of men and sees them as they are.

Everything under heaven is Mine. That encapsulates the extent of God’s power to the point that His omnipotence is undeniable. Everything. Not some things, or most things, but everything. This is the God we serve. Not one limited in authority, not one of minimal power, not one who wishes He could do something but can’t because His reach does not extend that far.

Nothing is impossible with God! But if that’s the case, why haven’t I gotten my wish list? Why don’t I have the things I want? Once again, because you’re not God, and His will, plan, and purpose are paramount rather than our wants or desires. If Jesus had to submit to the authority of God’s will, what makes any of us think we don’t?

Matthew 26:39, “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”’

When we pray God’s will be done in our lives, it’s not only when it aligns with our will, when they are in harmony, or when it requires no valley, trial, testing, or hardship. Without the fiery furnace, the three young men would not have had the testimony of God’s power to sustain them through it. Without the lion’s den, Daniel would not have seen God shutting up the mouths of the lions. Without the suffering and loss, the book of Job would not exist, nor would we have as great an understanding of God’s power to restore and rebuild as we do. You may not see the purpose in something, but God does. As long as we remain faithful, true, and obedient, His plan will reveal itself and in understanding it, we will glory in Him all the more.

Often, we focus on the battle and not on the victory that is sure to come if we endure and persist, cling to our integrity, and praise Him even in the midst of the storm. We see the night, but not the dawn, the affliction but not the cessation thereof, the sorrow but not the comforting hand of He who sees all and knows all.

The enemy is masterful at keeping us focused on the suffering of this present time, and not the future glory, because given enough time, marinating in despondency and hopelessness turns into bitterness and disillusionment.

If the book of Job teaches us anything, it’s that God is there even when it seems He isn’t. He is near even when He seems far off. He is present and engaged even when He seems indifferent, and when the world seems to be spinning out of control, everything under heaven is still His.

While the behemoth is a beast of the land, the Leviathan God refers to is a creature of the sea, one which men feared and could not bring down, but which God treats as a pet, playing with him as with a bird. The imagery is astounding and humbling all at once, because the things men fear most are things well within God’s control, for while even the hope of overcoming one as fearsome as Leviathan is a false one for any man, it is no great thing for God to leash him and take him as a servant forever.

Whether viewed through the lens of an allegory of the supernatural that seeks to depict the power of God even over the most fearsome beasts of land and sea, or the literal beasts themselves, the point is clear: Everything under heaven is His, and He rules over all of His creation!

This is the God we serve. Not some idol fashioned of wood and stone, not some dead thing, unresponsive and unconcerned with our trials, but a living, active, all-powerful God, who is in control of everything.

Isaiah 26:4, “Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXXXVII

 Man didn’t save me; Jesus did. He didn’t save me from slipping on a banana peel or touching poison ivy; He saved me from hell, from the eternal darkness, and from the fire that is never quenched. My salvation and redemption, just like yours, came at a cost that wasn’t paltry or insignificant, but one that was astronomical: a life for a life. Not the life of another, but His life; not the pain of another but His pain. He did not delegate the responsibility of redemption or reconciliation to God because there was no one He could delegate it to. It is to Jesus that I owe my undying fealty, loyalty, devotion, and love, because He did what no other could on my behalf.

Anyone attempting to supplant or replace Jesus in your life, insisting that they, rather than Him, should be followed and obeyed, didn’t die for you! Remember that the next time you entertain the idea that following after a man is an option because it’s more convenient, less time-consuming, or because they demand less of you than Jesus would.

Jesus warned, but it seems His warning fell on deaf ears. He spoke of a time when men would come in His name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and would deceive many. That time is here. That time is now, and it’s only going to get worse going forward.     

Job 40:15-24, “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; he eats grass like an ox. See now, his strength is in his hips, and his power is in his stomach muscles. He moves his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways of God; only He who made him can bring near His sword. Surely the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there. He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him. Indeed the river may rage, yet he is not disturbed; he is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, though he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare.”

There are those among us who desire to know God and understand the mysteries thereof; then there are those whose only reason for desiring discourse with Him is to prove how wise they are in their own eyes and tell Him how they would have done it differently. Likewise, there are those who approach God in humility and reverence, submitting to His will, deferring to His wisdom, and obeying His commands, and those whose pride will not allow them to bow before His majesty, and if ever they approach Him it is with a combative spirit, challenging His authority, and insisting that they are on equal footing even though they are His creation, and He their creator.

God is patient with those with sincere hearts. If we ask for bread, He will not give us a stone, and if we ask for understanding, He will not be vague or ambiguous. We can neither plead ignorance of God’s will nor His commands, because the Word is clear on both accounts, and only those whose desire isn’t to serve Him, but to find ways of bypassing what He has commanded, pretend as though He wasn’t clear.

God does not withhold pertinent, necessary information, nor does He play coy when we desire more of Him. He doesn’t require that we enter a credit card number to get behind a paywall where all the good information is, but freely reveals His will to us because He is motivated by love, and love alone.

God so loved the world! That sentence alone can readily be contemplated for an entire lifetime, and we would still only grasp the edges of the depth of what it means, and what all it implies. Is it because we are so lovable? Is it because we deserved redemption at the cost of the life of God’s only begotten Son? Or is it because God loved His creation, unworthy and undeserving as it was?

God could have been short with Job; He could have answered in a handful of words, but He took the time to explain His authority so thoroughly that Job was left speechless, in awe of the God he served and all the detail that went into everything He created.

As far as the behemoth goes, and what it is, the learned men of our day as well as those who came before them, have concluded that it’s a catchall term for large, four-legged, ponderous animals, whether the hippopotamus or the elephant; many are inclined to believe that God was referring to a hippo when addressing Job because of the description He proffers of the behemoth opening its mouth and the Jordan gushing therein.

Some, however, insist that God was speaking of dinosaurs when referring to the behemoth, although more often than not it’s wishful thinking rather than any substantive evidence that Job lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Between the two, I would err on the side of caution and say God was speaking of a hippopotamus rather than a dinosaur; then again, I’m not often given to flights of fancy and unsubstantiated claims. Whatever it was God was referring to as far as the behemoth is concerned, the purpose of the example He used is more relevant than what the animal itself was. God was attempting to highlight the clear purpose and design of His creation, including for something as cumbersome, slow, and indomitable as the behemoth.

Even for something like the behemoth, God made sure the mountains yielded food, the lotus trees provided shade, and the Jordan satisfied its thirst. It is neither troubled nor worried about what it will eat or what it will drink, and the raging river does not disturb it. The behemoth is confident not because it has the wherewithal to provide for itself, but because it knows it has been provided for. Even the behemoth can teach us lessons on how we should approach life, only if we are willing to learn.   

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Job CCCXXXVI

 In all the questions God asked Job, He was also attempting to show him the depth and breadth of the chasm between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Job was humble enough to acknowledge what he did not know, but God made clear the breadth of it by pointing out just how many there were. Everyone acknowledges that they don’t know everything, at least anyone who isn’t delusional, but the realization of just how much they don’t know is often jarring and discombobulating.  

We are predisposed to being wise in our own eyes, and those who see it as their defining trait tend to surround themselves with fools simply so they could highlight their own understanding. Every ship of fools must have a captain, and in the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king. When God steps into the picture, however, no matter how highly a man might think of himself, it is for naught, for God isn’t simply wise; He is wisdom personified. Elihu learned as much when God dismissed him as speaking words without knowledge, even though he’d spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince Job and his three friends otherwise.

Accusations aren’t evidence; assumptions aren’t facts, and even the wisest among us understands in part. Knowing this, the best course of action, without fail, is to defer to God, because whether we defer to Him or not, submit to His wisdom or don’t, He will have the final word, and His judgments will be absolute and irrevocable. It’s akin to a grain of sand disagreeing with the crashing waves, or a pebble disagreeing with the rushing river. God will do as He wills, and no created thing, whether man or beast, can stand in His way or hinder His plan from coming to fruition.

We choose to submit ourselves to God and abide by His Word, or attempt to twist it or altogether circumvent it because the desire of our heart is not to be pleasing in the sight of the Lord, but to do as we will and still have the hope of squeaking by and somehow making it into heaven. It doesn’t even have to be something egregious, just small changes here and there that attempt to change the intended meaning of what the gospel says.

Take, for example, one of the most often-heard claims within Christendom over the past few decades: that God has a wonderful plan for your life. It is indisputable that God has a plan for your life, but the Bible never says it’s wonderful, at least not as long as we are in these husks of flesh, making our way to eternity. One word changes both the implied expectations and the meaning of the entire phrase. The wonderful, glorious part comes after, when we stand before God and hear “Well done.” Jesus Himself said that in this world we would have tribulation, yet the expectation of many nominal believers is the wonderful life the smiling snake-oil merchant spoke of, and when tribulation comes, their entire world gets turned on its ear because of one word added to the truth of Scripture.  

The dichotomy between how Job’s friends reacted to his claim of being blameless, having found nothing in his heart of wickedness or evil, and how God reacted, knowing Job was, in truth, all that he claimed to be, is unnerving. On the one hand, Elihu and Job’s three friends could not believe that one could attain such a level of blamelessness, while God, knowing Job was blameless, saw him as one in need of grace and mercy.

Any other man or woman during Job’s generation would have fallen short of his blamelessness and uprightness, but when compared to the righteousness of God, Job himself fell short. Lest anyone be tempted to boast of their righteousness, remember this and be humbled anew.   

Both the presence of God, the voice of God, and the wisdom of God humble man. There can be no other response. Anyone walking away from an encounter with God feeling proud, puffed up, accomplished, and validated hasn’t had an encounter with the one true God. God is not in the cheerleading business. He doesn’t have to cheer every time you finish your peas and carrots because He does not see you as an infant but as a soldier. He doesn’t see you as a toddler but as a warrior.

We sing songs about being in the Lord’s army but act nothing like the soldiers we claim to be. If we are in the Lord’s army, He commands, and we obey, and if, perchance, something requires improvement, whether in the wielding of our weapons or the carrying out of our duties, He lets us know.

Yes, there was a time when you were a lost sheep and the good Shepherd left the ninety-nine and went after the one, but you are a lost sheep no longer. You have been found, you have been saved, you have been sanctified, and you cannot remain in the same spiritual condition as you were when your spiritual eyes were opened. It’s past time that those expecting God to rummage through His pockets for a hanky to wipe their noses learn to put on their armor and stand because they’ve been in a state of spiritual infancy for as long as they’ve been alive.

Stop expecting God to be a mother hen and gravitating toward people who infantilize you to the point of thinking you are incapable of studying the Word of God for yourself. There’s a difference between being babied and being trained, between being pandered to and being discipled. Given that itching ears are all the rage, it’s no surprise the contemporary church is in the deplorable spiritual condition it’s in.

The purpose of a preacher, a teacher, a pastor, a bishop, or an evangelist isn’t to make you dependent on them, but to point the way to Jesus. Anyone who claims to be any of these things and does otherwise has the ulterior motive of controlling you rather than showing you the way by which you can be made free.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.