“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it.”
6One day the angelsa came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satanb also came with them. 7The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.(1:6-12)ACTS 7:20-43
1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
JOURNAL
Here in these passages are two men who have done nothing wrong...to the contrary they are doing everything right...yet they are about to get pummeled. Job is given to the hands of Satan and will lose everything but his life. Stephen is about to be stoned.
What does this tell me about trusting in God and obeying him. It says that true success is never solely experienced or measured by worldly standards. It may mean being a martyr and without much in material possessions or to the contrary it may include riches and wealth and worldly success. The point is worldly measures don't ultimately matter...what will matter is the joy that I will receive from obeying and living my life as an Outpost of the Kingdom of God. This means as an offering...a living sacrifice...it means to take my eyes off the approval of man and focus my eyes on the love of God. It is to see that right here, right now I am blessed with life, with the opportunity to act and live. It is the acceptance and realization that I am part of God's team, that I am loved and that I have a purpose, no matter what the world says or how it responds. I think it is different for everyone but I know that living out of my identity, as part of God's team is a passionate, joyful, active existence that pushes the envelope of what I consider possible.
I think it must be an existence that stretches the boundaries of what I feel I can accomplish. I think it must be a life that utilizes my gifts and talents. I think it must be a life that requires courage, discipline and persistence. This is not to be a life of passive contemplation, but rather a life of active engagement. So when there are tough moments and disappointments and lack of worldly applause, I am not to fret or believe that something must be wrong but rather that I might just be exactly where God wants me. My identity is never determined by my circumstances, but rather my circumstances can serve to express my identity.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What does this tell me about trusting in God and obeying him. It says that true success is never solely experienced or measured by worldly standards. It may mean being a martyr and without much in material possessions or to the contrary it may include riches and wealth and worldly success. The point is worldly measures don't ultimately matter...what will matter is the joy that I will receive from obeying and living my life as an Outpost of the Kingdom of God. This means as an offering...a living sacrifice...it means to take my eyes off the approval of man and focus my eyes on the love of God. It is to see that right here, right now I am blessed with life, with the opportunity to act and live. It is the acceptance and realization that I am part of God's team, that I am loved and that I have a purpose, no matter what the world says or how it responds. I think it is different for everyone but I know that living out of my identity, as part of God's team is a passionate, joyful, active existence that pushes the envelope of what I consider possible.
I think it must be an existence that stretches the boundaries of what I feel I can accomplish. I think it must be a life that utilizes my gifts and talents. I think it must be a life that requires courage, discipline and persistence. This is not to be a life of passive contemplation, but rather a life of active engagement. So when there are tough moments and disappointments and lack of worldly applause, I am not to fret or believe that something must be wrong but rather that I might just be exactly where God wants me. My identity is never determined by my circumstances, but rather my circumstances can serve to express my identity.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
ROMANS 12:1-2
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