The heat is on!

One of my friends posted once that God allows us to be in the furnace yet He keeps his hand on the thermostat.

Let's talk about that. God ALLOWS us to be in the furnace. I'm sure you know the story of Job. The Lord was bragging on how good a man he was. And the devil said that he bet he could change that. So the Lord says to the devil take your best shot. Allows us in the furnace.

But before the devil even begins to try the Lord says..but you can not kill him. Keeps His hand on the thermostat.

That's chapter 1 vs 1-12. The rest of Chapter 1, Chapters 2- 41, and Chapter 42 vs 1-9..all tell of the hell Job went through in that furnace. Chapter 42 vs 10-17 tells us how God took that other hand..the one that wasn't controlling the thermostat..and plucked Job out of that furnace. And gave Job back even more than what he lost while he was in the hell of that furnace.

This story isn't about losing stuff and getting stuff back. Though I'm sure that's the part most of us can relate to. Especially the losing stuff. At times it seems that God is literally trying to snatch the rug out from under us. Like He is setting us up to fail.

Losing jobs. Family members dying of disease. Wives leaving. Kids on drugs. Friends turning on us.. House in foreclosure. Bill collectors calling the cell phone that's two days from being cut off. Left. Right. From the top. From the bottom. Pain is just rolling in. Seems like God not only took His hand off the thermostat, but He cranked it up then broke the dial off.

Lord, we'll be dead long before we finish losing everything much less get anything back!

No. This isn't about losing and gaining stuff. It's about knowing who you are..and Whose you are..going into that furnace, standing in that furnace, and coming out of that furnace.

Job never stopped knowing that God had his back. He never stopped believing that if he lived right and honored God..God would take care of him. The devil pointed out that Job worshipped God because God had made his life cake. Who doesn't worship God when things are going well?

But even after facing so much loss, Job still worshipped God. His friends came through..(you know how they do)..and accused him of committing any and all sins to make all these bad things happen. He stood his ground. I didn't do anything to deserve this. They kept at him.

Finally, Job stepped out of character and started trying to defend himself against their charges by accusing God. Yup. Job, a mere man, dared to accuse God. Read Chapters 38-41. God is not pleased. In my opinion..Job is beyond blessed God didn't do the one thing He wouldn't allow the devil to do...kill him. (But I'm fresh out the books of the law in the OT, that's how God was rolling!)

Job does get it together though. After God reminds him just who he is dealing with. And in the end God holds it to his so called friends but lets them off the hook because Job prayed for them.

Job knew start to finish that if he did his part..God would do His. That seems like an easy enough lesson to grab hold to. Do our part..love God with everything we are and love each other as we love ourselves..and God will do his. Easy, right?

So. What's the problem?