Truth, when not spoken in love, falls on deaf ears.

Saturday   10-31-15  Home in Modesto

Scripture reading:    Job 22    Mark 7-8

S=Scripture O=Observation A=Application P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  Job 22:21-25 "Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty and clean up your life, you will be restored. Give up your lust for money, and throw your precious gold into the river. Then the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver!  NLT

O.  Job’s friends, his “comforters” in his time of disaster and sickness proved to be more like “prosecutors.”  Here, his good buddy, Eliphaz the Temanite accuses him of hording his wealth while his neighbors were suffering need.  He does not produce evidence of this, but assumes it to be true.  Job has in fact gone totally bankrupt, but Eliphaz is sure he is hiding some gold somewhere.  “Throw your gold in the river.  Then the Almighty Himself will be Your treasure.”

A.  I am sure that there are some of us that could benefit from Brother Eliphaz’s advice.  These guys had some good concepts, but they had not yet heard Jesus’ words, “Judge not that ye be not judged.”  (Matt 7:1)  Much of what they were preaching were true principles, but they were probably more applicable to themselves than to their friend, Job.  Truth, when not spoken in love, falls on deaf ears.

P.  Dear Jesus, may my conversation, my preaching and yes, my writing, too... be always ‘truth, presented in a spirit of love’.  You said, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17 NIV  Later You commissioned us with, “...as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21) KJV

Dear Lord, next week as I travel to El Salvador to preach Your Word to a multitude of adults, youth and little children, help me to minister ‘Your message’ with ‘Your passion’, ‘Your anointing’ and ‘Your integrity’... all saturated in ‘Your divine love’.  Amen.

Ralph