Passage Read: Job 13-16
Meditation Verse: 13:26
Thought
Because Job and his friends are convinced that such terrible things that have happened to him only come on those who do wrong, so Job must conclude that God is dredging up old sins, sins committed in his youth. God must be punishing him for things done long ago. That tells me that Job has learned and grown. He knows he did not anyways do right, but he's seen his sinful ways and turned away from them. He has learned to do what is good and right in God's eyes, and has been so successful that God calls him righteous, like no one else on earth!
Application
This to me is evidence and hope that I can learn and grow and be changed to walk in his ways, to be more and more conformed to His likeness, to become pleasing in His sight. Job did it without God's Spirit dwelling in him and without a new, righteous nature given by God through faith in Jesus. How much more am I now destined and designed to attain to Job's righteousness and more. It is not just possible. It is what I was made new to be. Living by God's righteousness is not too far off for me to reach. It's not an impossible goal. Christ died and rose again to transform my very being so that I would walk in the holiness and righteousness of God, to display His power to make me new. He gets all the glory as I submit fully to His Word and His Spirit to walk in what He calls true life. I need to stop believing and parroting the lie that it is impossible to live a holy life, and start pouring all my effort into doing it. The longer I insist on doing things my way, the longer failure will dog me. The sooner I surrender to complete obedience, giving up all rights to myself, the sooner I will have the peace and success He promised.