CRATE DETAILS
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- “Be Encouraged…With God All Things Are Possible” Resin Paperweight Decor (MSRP $10.00)
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- “Five Things God Wants You to Remember” 5 pc Giftable Magnet Set (MSRP $7.95)
- F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God) Inspirational Lanyard (MSRP $4.00)
- D.O.G. (Depend On God) Witness Tac Pin (MSRP $2.99)
Crate News
In 2017 we will highlight a book from the Bible each month.
This month we are highlighting
The Book of Job
Job
SUMMARY
In Job, we see a man who God allows to be directly attacked by Satan. He is an example of faithfulness as he loses everything important to him yet remains faithful to God. Its purpose is to illustrate God’s sovereignty and faithfulness during a time of great suffering.
WHO WAS JOB?
This wealthy landowner and father is one of the best-known biblical heroes. He was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. But we know little more about the man than that he was stripped of everything, without warning, and that his faith was severely tested.
MORE IN DEPTH
God tests Job’s faithfulness through allowing Satan to attack him. God told Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him” (1:12). Through Job’s trials, all is lost including his health, his possessions and his children. His wife even tells him to curse God, but he remains strong and faithful, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”(1:22).
When all was taken from him, (1:20) Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. (1:21) And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job’s friends give him plenty of bad advice, in rounds of discussion. They mistakenly blame his sufferings on his personal sins rather than God testing and growing Job. One of them was half-correct in that God wanted to humble him, but this was only a part of God’s test.
God speaks to Job and restores him. God knows that Job has received incorrect guidance from his friends, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” God fittingly declares that humans do not know everything. Then He humbles Job by asking a series of questions that could never be answered by anyone other than Almighty God; for example, “Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this”. God then brings him to an understanding that believers don’t always know what God is doing in their lives.
WHY IS JOB SO IMPORTANT?
The book delves into issues near to the heart of every human who experiences suffering. The prologue provides a fascinating peek into the back story – why God allowed Satan to afflict Job with such pain and turmoil. Then, through a series of dialogues and monologues arranged in a pattern of threes, human wisdom attempts to explain the inexplicable, until finally God Himself speaks.
Job’s plight of undeserved suffering compels us to ask the age-old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The answer given to Job may or may not satisfy the reader. God allows pain for good reason, but He may never reveal those reasons.
Job did not reject God, but Job did challenge and accuse Him. The Almighty quieted Job decisively when He finally thundered His own perspective on the situation. God did not answer Job’s question of “Why?” – He instead overwhelmed Job and his friends with the truth of His majesty and sovereignty. Job came away with a deeper sense of God’s power and splendor, trusting Him more.
In the end, Job answers God by saying, “I have declared that which I did not understand”. God then blessed Job with twice as much as he had before his trials began.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Pain inevitably afflicts each one of us. Suffering is unavoidable in this life. Will your relationship with God be enough when trials come? Will you trust Him through your suffering?
Read The Book of Job, especially 38-42. Spend time with the Almighty. Pray for a stronger faith in the powerful Creator described in those chapters. Pray for a right perspective of Him so that you might see your situation through His eyes.
Instead of asking where God is in the midst of your pain, the book of Job affirms God’s control and asks us, “Where are we in our pain? Are we trusting our Creator, even though we cannot understand our circumstances?”
August’s Crate contains gifts that remind you of God’s steadfast love.
Put these items in places where you will see them often, to remind you that God is there, He is present and that you can count on Him – Always!!
As always, you can certainly keep all of your Crate’s contents for yourself, but we also like to suggest that you think of someone who’s life you’d like to touch and give them a gift from your Crate this month.
We hope that you will enjoy all of the contents of your Crate, that we bring a smile to your face and that something in your Crate will inspire you to explore your relationship with God on a deeper level.
Until your next Crate arrives…we wish you many blessed days!
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