Stepping in the Light

“When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.” Job 30:26

Job was a good man. The Bible describes him as “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” In other words, he was a mature and righteous person who feared God and avoided evil. In the midst of his long discussions with his friends, Job points out that he previously enjoyed great expectations. He said, “I looked for good,” and, “I waited for light.” Job was anticipating the positive things that he believed were going to happen in his life. He must have had high hopes for each of his ten children. Surely he had plans of things that he wanted them to do as a family. We know that he was a man of wealth, so we can assume that he aspired to find ways to increase his prosperity. We don’t know all that Job was hoping for, but we know that his dreams had certainly not come true. When Job said, “When I looked for good, then evil came unto me,” he was expressing deep and bitter disappointment. Job’s experiences are an extreme example, but it is true that life is sometimes filled with disappointment. We often have great plans that don’t turn out like we had hoped. Disappointments can range from mild to extreme, but the proper response is always the same. We must learn to trust in God rather than blaming Him. We must remember that the Lord knows how much we can bear, and He has a plan that He is working out in our lives. Are you willing to trust Him in spite of your disappointments today?

“And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.” Acts 12:13-16

Peter had been arrested and was in prison awaiting execution. Many of the believers who had heard about his predicament had gathered to pray that his life would be spared and that he would be released. The night before Peter was to be put to death, an angel appeared to him and escorted him out of the prison. Peter made his way to the house where the believers were gathered praying for him and knocked on the door. A young girl named Rhoda came to the gate, and when she heard Peter’s voice, she was so excited that she ran back inside to tell everyone that Peter was there without even opening the door. The folks gathered at the prayer meeting could not believe that Peter was really there, and when they finally went to the door, they were astonished to see him. They were asking for something that they believed was impossible, so they were shocked when it happened. How often do we ask God for things without believing that we will receive them? If we truly have faith, we will be pleased, delighted, and maybe even relieved when our prayers are answered; but not astonished.

“Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” Acts 11:22-24

The Gospel had spread from Jerusalem to Antioch, a city about 300 miles to the north, and many people had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. When the news came back to the church in Jerusalem about the large numbers of people being saved in Antioch, they wanted to send someone from their midst to teach the new believers in Antioch more about Jesus in order to help them grow in their faith. They chose a man named Barnabas because he was a good man and was filled with the Holy Spirit. When Barnabas got to Antioch and saw how many people had been saved already and their eagerness to learn about the Lord and obey His Word, he went to Tarsus and asked Saul to join him in his efforts to teach the people in Antioch. Barnabas and Saul were in the city of Antioch for one year teaching the new believers and sharing Christ with those who had not heard. The believers in Antioch were so fervent in their desire to follow the Lord that the people in the city began to call them “Christians.” Of course, this became the universal name of the followers of Christ, but it happened first at Antioch. Barnabas not only had a great impact on the city of Antioch; his influence is still felt all around the world today!

“Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?” Job 21:7, 13-15

We have a strong tendency to be self-centered in our thinking, and this self-centeredness often hampers our understanding of the world around us. We like it when good things happen to us, and we dislike it when bad things happen. We want all of our experiences to be pleasant and every outcome to be positive. We want our work to prosper and our families to be healthy and happy. We want people to like us, and we always want to be able to get what we need when we need it. If things don’t go our way, we look around and find examples of other people who seem to have everything they want. This can get us into trouble because God does not always present us with instant feedback. It is true that God rewards good and punishes evil, but He does not always do it immediately. This means that we can always find examples of good people who are struggling and wicked people who are flourishing. The wicked people who have things going their way fail to see the need for God. They see no reason to go to church, to pray, or to read the Bible. Job teaches us that we cannot focus on the immediate outcome, but rather on doing right. Living for God requires faith. Like Job, we need to trust Him when things go wrong.

“Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. Acts 10:17-20

God was getting ready to ask Peter to do something that would seem contrary to everything that he had ever been taught. The Jews were very careful to keep themselves separate from the Gentiles. The laws that would have forbidden Peter from associating with Gentiles were roughly equivalent in their importance in the Jewish mindset to the dietary laws that would have kept him from eating pork. In a vision, Peter saw a great sheet filled with animals that were considered unclean and heard a voice telling him to kill and eat them. Peter was confused by this vision because he had never eaten any of those kind of animals. As the servants of Cornelius (a Roman centurion) came to the door asking for Peter, the Lord spoke to Peter and told him to go with them, doubting nothing. Peter did go to Cornelius’ house and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles who were gathered there, and many of them were saved. Sometimes God wants us to get out of our comfort zone and accomplish something that we never thought that we could do. That is the time to dismiss the doubts and do God’s bidding.

“Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.” Job 16:1-5

Job had lost everything he owned. His ten children had died, his body had been racked with a terrible disease, and his wife had told him that he should curse God and die. After all of this pain and suffering, Job’s three friends came to visit him. When they saw his condition, they sat down with him for seven days without saying anything. When they finally spoke, they began to accuse Job of doing something to bring this upon himself. They were convinced that no one could be subjected to so much suffering unless he had done something terribly wrong. Each of them took a turn at trying to convince Job that there must be something in his life that God wanted him to change. Job told them that they were miserable comforters. Assigning blame did nothing to diminish Job’s heartache and pain. They were supposed to be his friends. Job said that if their situations were reversed, he would have spoken comforting words to them that would have lessened their grief. It seems that Job’s friends would have been better off if they had said nothing at all. God was working in Job’s life, and they did not understand what was happening. Sometimes just our presence is enough.

“And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.” Acts 9:19-22

Saul had been arresting, imprisoning, and killing Christians with an unparalleled zeal. He was on the road to Damascus where he planned to arrest every person he could find who claimed to be a believer in Jesus. Saul was convinced that Jesus had not been the Messiah and that all of His followers were wrong. But something happened on the road to Damascus that changed all of that. A great light shined down on him from heaven, and he fell to the ground and heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him. From that moment on, Saul was completely changed. He began to preach about Jesus in the city of Damascus. The people who heard Saul preaching were amazed. They knew that he was the one who came to town to arrest Christians, and now he was preaching that Jesus was the Messiah. The power of Christ became obvious in the life of a man who had dedicated his life to destroying Christianity. If God can change someone like Saul, He can change anyone.

“And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.” Acts 8:30-33

The royal treasurer from Ethiopia had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home with a copy of the Isaiah scroll. As he rode along in his chariot, he was reading from the scroll. The Lord had spoken to Philip and sent him to meet this man. When Philip saw him reading from the scroll, he asked if he understood what he was reading. The treasurer answered, “How can I, except some man should guide me.” Philip began to explain the passage of scripture to him and told him about how Jesus had fulfilled the passage of scripture that he was reading from by dying on the cross for the sins of the world.

None of us understands everything about the Bible, but every person who is saved knows something about God’s Word that they could share with someone else. As we begin to share the things that we do know and see how helpful it is in the lives of others, we become motivated to learn more. Is there someone who could benefit from your knowledge of the Word?

“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” Acts 8:1-4

Saul was a Pharisee, and he was zealous in his quest for righteousness. He believed that the followers of Jesus were wrong, and that they were trying to destroy the Jewish religion. He was so convinced that this new sect should be stamped out that he took it upon himself to arrest and punish as many of the believers as possible. Jesus’ disciples scattered in all directions fleeing Saul’s persecution. At first, this must have seemed like a victory for the Pharisees; but for Saul and the other religious leaders, there was an unintended consequence. These believers feared for their lives and fled from Jerusalem, but they were still believers. Everywhere they went, they told everyone they talked to about Jesus. As they related the news of the recent events in Jerusalem, they were sharing the Gospel with people who had not yet heard. They told them about Jesus, about the miracles that He had performed, about His death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and about His resurrection on the third day. Many were saved because of these believers’ faithfulness.

“But Solomon built him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” Acts 7:47-50

The landscapes of the inhabited parts of the earth are dotted with a wide variety of houses of worship; a seemingly endless assortment of basilicas, cathedrals, chapels, churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples. In scripture, only one was directed to be built and rebuilt by God. It began as the tabernacle that Moses constructed in the wilderness, and it was utilized for hundreds of years until Solomon built the temple at Jerusalem. As Stephen was speaking to the council, he referred to Isaiah 66:1, where God makes it clear that man cannot build Him a house to contain Him. Stephen was pointing out that we have a tendency to focus on the form of worship and the place of worship while neglecting the object of worship, God Himself. The religious leaders were wrapped up in the importance of the temple and the ritualistic worship, but they were rejecting the Messiah who was the embodiment of all of those symbols. Church buildings are convenient and functional, and they certainly serve a purpose; but they are never to become the focal point of worship. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth,” (John 4:24).