Faithful Christian Commitment and service
in the Middle East for almost 150 years The Nazareth Trust Healing in the Name of Jesus Since 1861
in the Middle East for almost 150 years The Nazareth Trust Healing in the Name of Jesus Since 1861
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Welcome
Welcome to you all again from Nazareth, following some of the hottest weather we have had this year!
This week our speaker was one of the newly arrived SERVE Nazareth team who shared with us some of his personal journey, using the scriptures in Job. We were delighted to have him speak in the chapel!
Devotion
Job 1: 1- 12
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom.
One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then 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."
"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "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. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job was very wealthy, in fact his possessions are listed and we can see that he had been blessed in every way and yet remained godly in his attitude. He had everything going for him, but as we see later in the book, everything was taken from him and he asked God why this has happened. Why did he deserve this?
His friends came to comfort him and sat with him silently for seven days. They then sought to answer his questions, urging him to seek out any secret sin he has committed. After their responses, God Himself actually answers Job, but by reminding him that He is God, He is the creator and is accountable to no-one. Job then repents and God restores him Job 42:10 “After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
When we see the things that Job lost, we see seven different events, which took away his oxen, sheep, camels, children, land & home, servants and finally his health. However, we see in chapter 5: 19 “From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you.”
This related in Greg’s life to a series of incidents which he went through before coming to Israel. The incidents included the breakdown of his car, breakdown of his computer, a suspension from work on the basis of a piece of paperwork, a flood in his apartment causing a huge amount of damage, another car breakdown, 2 car accidents and an illness 4 days before travel to Israel.
During this time, he prayed to God about what was happening, as it seemed that these incidents threatened his trip to Israel. He asked God why this was happening to him, what had he done to deserve it. However, he felt God answer that he should not be anxious and that it would be ok. This enabled him to keep seeking God and humbling himself before Him. These seven incidents reflect the passage above, in that during all this, God rescued Greg and provided for him.
The end of this time in Greg’s life was completed when he received a vision of being clothed in the armour of God and experiencing victory against the powers of darkness. Greg then knew that this time of trial was completed and that he had been delivered through it.
As a result of this experience there are questions we can all ask ourselves:
How many times do we praise God when we are sick, or lose something or feel discouraged?
Do we only praise God when we get what we want?
Is your life based around what you want in your life or is it all about God and what He wants in your life?
Psalm 30: 5
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Speaker: Greg Allen
Comments
"Great message" Vincent, UK