Believers as the Temple of God - Day 232 Through the Bible

A commissioned gift of art - a statue of St. Francis of Assisi by a nationally-acclaimed artist in Celo 

My Lessons and Applications from Today's Readings

(Ellipses are mine and are used for contemplation.)

More Torment for Job from His Friends - Job 33 and 34 - The youngest "friend", Elihu, continues his diatribe against Job - accusing Job of being unrighteous (v. 12) (recall that God Himself called Job righteous and blameless), "of walking with wicked men, going in the company with workers of iniquity, of drinking scorn like water, to repent of his sin that is causing God's curse upon his life, and says that God is repaying Job according to his way." Elihu claims, "Truly I am as your spokesman before God."  Then Job's "friend" ends with this against Job in the midst of all this godly man's suffering, "Job speaks without knowledge, his words are without wisdom.  Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, because his answers are like those of wicked men!  For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God." 

My Lessons and Applications - This torment is from men who have come to comfort Job over the deaths of his 10 children, the loss of all his livestock and his servants, the physical torment of boils all over his body; these misguided and barbed accusations are spoken to a man who God sees as a loyal and faithful servant, yet a man God has allowed Satan to torment to prove that Job loves God - not God's blessings.  How cruel is the counsel of the friends - and how wrong!  Like most satanically-motivated speech, truth is interwoven with lies in an attempt to make the deception more palatable.  Have you been here?  Here in the midst of this type of counsel when your world has been destroyed?  When you tried living each day of your life in the counsel of God, yet everything seems to turn to ashes?  When you see the wicked, corrupt, godless person prosper?  We have the spiritual truth behind Job's tragedies, but he does not and his friends do not.  Am I able to go to God alone for succor, to allow His truth spoken to me through His Word and His Spirit within me to be my guide when all the world around me would give lie to what He tells me?  This is the essence of true possessing faith.  Spurgeon says that faith that has not been tried is no faith at all.

Spiritual or Carnal / Division or Unity / Ministers or God / The Temple of God / God's Wisdom or the World's Wisdom - 1 Corinthians 3 - This is so hard to describe in a paragraph. Great scholarly works have been written on each of these doctrinal points.  Paul warns the church at Corinth that it is still too carnal - that it is only able to deal with spiritual milk not the more weighty doctrine of solid food.  The outward evidence of their carnality and spiritually infantile state is the division, envy and strife that exists in the church.  The division has been created by which minister they follow.  Paul reminds them that it is God they follow - "ministers can plant the seed and water it, but only God can give the increase. and it is only through God the ministers are even able to do their parts, which will be rewarded."  Paul reminds us that we we are all "God's fellow workers...we are God's field...we are God's building...our foundation is Jesus Christ...our works build on this and will be revealed in the Day of what sort they are...the fire will test each one's work"...Paul's last words of this chapter are:  "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.  Therefore, let no one boast in men.  For all things are yours:  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come - all are yours.  And you are Christ's and Christ is God's."

My Lessons and Applications - The NT teaches that all of Christ's righteousness is imputed to us through His sacrificial work on the cross and in His resurrection.  This is the wisdom of God.  All the wisdom of man - of Job's counselors, of the divisiveness in the church at Corinth over which man's wisdom was correct, is futile and creates nothing but dissension and divisiveness.  Job was God's.  We as believers are God's in Christ. This is the temporal and eternal unity our hearts and souls seek, and we are restless until we find it.  It is a unity, a truth, that comes only from the Spirit of God indwelling us.  It is the peace which passes all understanding.  Am I allowing the wisdom of the world, the things of the world,  to keep me from unity with Christ, unity with other possessing believers?  Does the test of my professed faith reveal me as a possessor of true faith in God?

"Whereas there is among you envying, and strife...are ye not carnal?" 1 Cor. 3:3  

What is the proof that carnality is gone?  Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone it is the most real thing imaginable.  God will see that you have any number of opportunities to prove to yourself the marvel of His grace.  The practical test is the only proof.  "Why," you say, "if this had happened before, there would have been the spirit of resentment!"  You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.  

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.