| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity” Our Bible verse for today: “His wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 (CSB) Our Bible verse for today: “Hold fast to your integrity” Job is a classic Biblical example of a man who endured terrible circumstances and yet he held fast to his integrity. He was known far and wide as a man of solid character and uncompromising integrity even before his trials began. In Job 1:8 God held Job up to Satan as an example of a man of notable integrity, “Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.” Again, in Job 2:3, after the trials had started and Job had lost his children, along with many servants and much of his wealth, God was still commending him to Satan as a man of uncompromising integrity. By the time we get to Job 2:9 we find that he has now been afflicted with painful physical suffering as well, and things had gotten so bad that his despondent wife (this was all impacting her too) urged him to just give up, curse God, and die. But Job refused to even consider doing that. We don’t know how long Job’s time of trial and suffering lasted, the Bible doesn’t say. It was an extended period of time but through it all Job held fast to his integrity. He suffered terribly, and he did give voice to his suffering, but he held fast to his integrity as a man of God. It’s during the worst of times that our true selves emerge. It’s easy to come across as a man or woman of character, integrity, virtue, strength, and courage when times are easy. It’s when times are hard that we discover what a person is truly made of. This is when solid character and uncompromising integrity shows itself. This is when it becomes apparent what’s really true of us. The kind of character and integrity we’ve been learning about all this month doesn’t develop overnight. It’s something that we have to want and something we have to strive for. It’s the result of years of learning, growing, and commitment to Biblical principles. It grows out of prayer, Bible study, and close association with others who are likeminded and just as committed to becoming a man or woman of good character and uncompromising integrity. I don’t wish the trials and tribulations of Job upon you, but I do pray for the character and integrity of Job in your life. I encourage you to do the work to develop and maintain that kind of character and integrity, and then hold fast to it. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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