Lord, You give and take away. Blessed be Your Name!

Lord, You give and take away.  Blessed be Your Name!

Tuesday 12-13-16, Modesto USA 

Today we read Hebrews 9 - 11 

S.  Heb 10:34-35 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail. When all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity. Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. NLT

O.  I think some of us could handle being placed behind bars and mistreated for a few weeks, but I am not sure that we could have all our possessions taken away from us and accept it with joy.  I assume that these early Jewish believers lost their jobs, their position in society and probably even their homes… all because they believed and accepted Christ Jesus as the true Messiah.  Hey!  But they took their losses with JOY!

A.  Our brother Job suffered severely from undeserved satanic persecution. The Lord had allowed Satan to steal his wealth, his health and even his children, but Job still says, The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21 NKJV The Lord gave me that verse very early this morning as I was praying.  I had taken a serious loss, partly due to my own error and partly due to someone’s dishonesty.  God was saying, “Son, get over it!  And go back to bed and sleep in peace. Here, take some of my joy with you!”

P.  Thanks, Jesus.  It sure is great to have You for my Friend.  You speak peace to the stormy waves that threaten to swamp my boat.  

I just stepped outside and noticed that my Bird of Paradise has blossomed for the first time in over a year… and in cold, wintery December!  And my yellow roses, too.  Oh, yes, and the birds are singing!  Jesus, You give much more than the devil can ever take away.  Amen.

Ralph