OUR DAILY BREAD

Friday
July 3, 2009

Job’s Principle

Read: Philippians 4:10-13

Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? --Job 2:10

When my wife accepted a position as Director of Special Education in a school district many miles from our home, it resulted in a very long commute each day. It was tolerable in the short term, but neither of us could see her doing this indefinitely. So we decided to relocate to another city halfway between our two jobs.

The real estate agent was not optimistic about our home selling quickly. Market trends showed many homes for sale with few buyers. After much prayer and strenuous cleaning, we finally put our home up for sale. To our surprise, our house sold in less than 3 weeks!

Sometimes I feel guilty about receiving material blessings. With so many needs around the world, why should I expect divine intervention in selling a home? Then I remember Job’s reply to his wife: “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10).

This verse is most often applied to accepting disappointment. But the principle also applies to being grateful for blessings. The apostle Paul had learned how to rejoice in plenty and in want (Phil. 4:10-13). God has an interest in teaching us contentment through both gains and losses. Thanking God in all circumstances recognizes His sovereignty and nurtures a response of faith. --Dennis Fisher

We thank You, Lord, for blessings
You give us on our way;
May we for these be grateful,
And praise You every day. --Roworth

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. --Job

Our Daily Bread used by permission of RBC Ministries

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.