This Week’s Project Ezra Reading - Job 38 and 39

This Week’s Reading: Job 38 and 39

Greetings Project Ezra! This week we will be reading Job 38 and 39. The message in these chapters is simple; God is God, we are not, and we would be wise not to question His will. When I was in junior college, I took a comparative religion class, and the teacher (clearly NOT a believer), talked about these chapters, and how God essentially “pulled rank” on Job. God didn’t answer Job’s questions, but reminded Job who had created him, and everything else, and who had the power and authority. At the time this bothered me a bit, and I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. But, in retrospect, pulling rank was exactly what God did, and it was absolutely appropriate for Him to do so.

One trait that I have often seen in people I talk to who claim the name of Christ, but seem to have no understanding of God or His word, is this one. They acknowledge God, but they want Him to have just enough power to fix their problems, but not enough authority to run their lives. In reality, God created us, He owns us, and He can and does tell us exactly how He expects us to behave. Thankfully were serve a loving, gracious and merciful God, but too often we stop examining His attributes there. He is also holy and just, and will not leave the guilty unpunished. He is also sovereign, and is free to do as He pleases with His creation, whether we understand it at the time or not. Isaiah 29:16 says:

You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker,
"He did not make me";
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
"He has no understanding"?

And in Romans 9:20-21 it says:

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its
molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay,
to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for
dishonorable use?

Not always an easy truth to swallow, but God’s truth none the less.


So this week try keeping it simple:

God created and rules over everything that exists, whether we like it or now.

God gave us His law, and made it very clear, and every one of us has broken it

Go through the Ten Commandments, and show them they are guilty of breaking His law

God is a just judge who must punish sin, and His word states that punishment
will be eternity in hell

God is not only a just judge who must punish sin, but a loving father.

God demonstrated His love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If we do as the bible says, repenting of our sins and putting our trust in
Christ, He will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.




FROM OUR LOCAL TRUE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS, LAST YEAR

We are now just a week away from the True Gift of Christmas reading, and our numbers are pretty low. Please prayerfully consider participating, and sharing the event information with your friends. Check the last blog post for more details on exactly how the reading works, and be sure to let us know you are attending on the Facebook event, as well as letting us know your location. Some of our event reports from last year are linked below, in case you missed them. They will give you some idea about how others have participated.

http://projectezra.blogspot.com/2009/12/project-ezra-and-true-gift-of-christmas.html

http://projectezra.blogspot.com/2009/12/white-christmas-for-project-ezra-in.html

http://projectezra.blogspot.com/2009/12/gospel-of-john-in-burbank-ca.html


Also, don’t forget to check out this video on the Living Waters Ambassador’s Academy. You can register for this life changing three day evangelism boot camp here:

http://www.ambassadorsalliance.com/

and you can watch the promotional video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBTcE_529w

Feel free to contact me directly if you had any questions or needed any further information.

For the praise of His glory,

Dan