WHAT IS MAN

Monday, December 17, 2001

Dear Family:

Today, as I was studying, I came across the several references in Job, a book ascribed to suffering and pain. But there are several messages there which I feel over shadow all of that. First, no one is excluded from the testing and tempting by Satan. Someone once told me what it takes for nature to produce a diamond. There are years of intense heat and pressure followed by the hammer and chisel from the gemist who takes the rough black stone, cuts and polishes it into the gem. While I may feel as though I'm a pretty good OLE boy, may think I do good, care for others, tithe, visit the sick, study, pray, even get baptized and never miss church, I still am not the gem I could be. You see, God created us to love and to be loved. Somehow, I just cannot imagine that my love for him is ever perfected to the point that I would be a little Jesus. Yet if I read the Bible correctly Christ said that if I were like him, I would do all the things he did and more. Well, if that is true and if I believe the bible to be the word of God to and through men then I should be able to heal the sick, raise the dead, move the mountains, cause the blind to see and cause the deaf mute to hear and speak. If I am not able to do these things then something is wrong. What is wrong? Is it my faith in him and my love for him. Job met with his scholarly friends to debate the issues of life only to come up short of God's expectation in their answers. I think God may have expected that Job would discover more of Him through the trials Satan put him through, but sadly it didn't happen. Only after God spoke to Job from the whirlwind did Job get the message.

Job 7:17-19 "What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? (NIV)

It seemed as Job had gotten it in these verses but no! The truth of these words were seen only in the negative until the end. Job did not say these words in praise to God for their fact but rather in his "woe is me" attitude as he pondered his plight. If Job had said these words in the truth that they are, he would have been awe struck by what had come from his own lips. What am I that you, the God of the universe, would make so much of me, you give me so much attention, you examine me every morning and test me every moment. You never look away from me, or let me alone for an instant. I like Job forget the truth of these words only when something astounding happens do I remember that this awesome God, creator of the universe is with me every moment of my life. He loves me, gives me breath and life. Blesses me with others who He loves and then cares for me through them. How can I keep from loving him in return? Talk about a spoiler. He is the champion spoiler. Even when I do not deserve it He showers me with His love and blessings. When I read the words of Job 38-41 and think of who he is, I have to say why would this God give me one second of his attention but he does. Now that is amazing! "What is man that you make so much of him."

The Maranatha Singers sing a song titled "Open Our Eyes". Its words are as followers:

Open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him, open our ears Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus.

What a powerful prayer!

Dad, Dad2 and Chuck

 

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