Daily Devotional

Scripture Job 41:11 Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

Observation: There is nothing we can give God, He owns it all. Everything we see He has created. The only thing He desires is our obedience and love. God has allowed us to give it out of our own will, He has given us a choice. He could have just as easily made us robots making love and obedience the only thing that we could do, but He didn’t want that He wants us to love Him unconditionally and to obey His commands out of love for Him. It would seem to be an easy decision whether to freely give our Lord what he desires, but we are still fighting these sinful and prideful desires we have. God owns everything and that includes us, there is no dealing or trading with God we either love Him or we don’t. It’s our choice.

Application: I need to stop putting things ahead of God. My attitude, my desires, my actions and words need to honor my Lord. I want to draw closer to my God and become a trusted friend to Him as he is to me. I’m tired of letting Him down all the time I need to be trustworthy each day with my number one thought always being about Him. My Master can’t take a backseat to what I do, He needs to be in the driver’s seat directing me.

Prayer: My Lord I know a day doesn’t go by that I go astray and get off the path. Why is it so hard for me to stay focused on You. I need your help, please take charge I freely give you this life, take it so that it will glorify you. I love you and can’t wait to spend forever with you. May my homecoming bring a smile to your face, because I led a life pleasing to you.

Scripture Job 40:2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

Observation: How many times have we questioned God? I know it’s more than I want to admit. When things don’t go the way I plan I think what was God thinking? Our lives can be full of disappointments and trouble, but when I look back, they were caused by me and God had to get me out of the mess I made. We have no right to get into a discussion with God and our viewpoint, we are here to obey and listen. God hears us and what we should want him to hear is worship and not complaining.

Application: Today I received the news that the contract where I work was renewed. I’ve been worried about it for a couple of months now, asking God if it is his will that He would work it out that I could stay, but if not to open my eyes to His will. Great sentiment, but if I truly trusted Him, I wouldn’t have to say it each day, I’m sure He heard me the first time. I have no right to ask God for anything, even though He allows me to enter the throne room with my requests. My purpose is to bring Him pleasure and an obedient and trusting spirit would do that.

Prayer: My Lord thank you for allowing me to come before you. Help me spend more time listening to you and less telling you what I would like. Give me the wisdom to do and say the things that would please you and fill me with the Holy Spirit and allow me to hear you and obey you. I love you and my only desire is to please you.

Scripture Job 39:19 “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?

Observation: God is on a roll He goes through all that He has done and asks if Job has done it. If there was a hole to crawl in Job would be in it, unfortunately there is no place to hide from God. We are no better than Job, we are not responsible for anything on this earth. Even scientific discoveries are allowed by God, but we have created nothing new. Everything man has created comes from the raw materials that God supplied. We can’t answer back to God, we can’t complain against God it is futile. Instead of trying to battle against God we need to surrender and fall at His feet and ask Him what He desires of us. We shouldn’t be on the other side of God we need to be on His side.

Application: I was reading “The Purpose Driven Live” today and it talked about surrender to God, one of the main things we need to do to understand our purpose in this life. It hit my heart that this is what I need to do, completely surrender to my Lord. If I call him Lord I have no other option, but to obey Him and do what He calls me to do, otherwise He isn’t Lord. I need to surrender my finances, my time, my desires and my will and replace it with His. I want to be a prisoner of His love, mercy and grace and be controlled totally by my Master. I’ve messed up my life enough and I need to give control to my creator.

Prayer: Dear Lord please show me how to completely surrender all. I want to give this life as a living sacrifice, but it seems each day I take it back and try to do things on my own. You deserve my best and guide me to hear your voice for direction each day. You know my heart and you know this sinner, change me to honor and glorify your name. I love you and want to honor you my Lord, show me how.

Scripture Job 38:2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

Observation: This is the chapter in the Bible that I’m so glad that I’m not Job. God lets him have and justifiably so. Yet I deserve the same tongue lashing as he got. I’m always questioning my Lord and I worry all the time. I still haven’t found out if I’ll have a job waiting to see if the contract will be renewed. I start my day saying that I will trust Him, but it doesn’t take long before I’m anxious and want to take things in my own hands to get an answer. I forget He is God the creator of all things and owes me nothing, he has already given me so much more than I deserve. I speak without knowledge and yet God tells me to ask and He will give me the wisdom that I will need.

Application: My prayers must be more than mere words, I need to act on what I tell my Lord. If I tell Him that I will trust Him than I better let go of all that bothers me and trust Him to do what He wants done. If I tell Him that I’m going to do something than I better do it without excuses, If I promise Him, I will not lust after things than I better do so and ask Him for strength and the discipline to be obedient. God never told me that I can do it on my own as a matter of fact He told me I couldn’t and that I will need Him to live this life in a way that pleases Him. It’s time I took my words and made them action that will be pleasing to my Lord.

Prayer: My Lord you’ve heard me say it over and over again how I’m going to live my life to glorify you and that I’m not doing a very good job, in fact I’m doing a terrible job. Lord help me do what I say I’m going to do and have me be obedient to you always. Please take this anxiety from me and give my soul peace. Give me direction and a purpose that will please you. I’m here for You and You only. I love you, Lord.

Scripture Job 37:5 God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend.

Observation: I don’t know why we think we’ll figure out God. God is so much larger than our thoughts and we’ll never comprehend Him. We are not here to figure God out we’re here to obey Him. We are not on equal playing ground with God. If something terrible happens we are not to blame God or expect an answer. Our job is to trust Him and do what He calls us to do. We are not to judge God and His actions. We are to know His word and His laws and keep them. Like Job we want answers, but we were never promised them and we are not worthy of receiving them.

Application: I need to trust God so much more than I do. I start my day off by telling the creator of all things that I do trust Him, but after a short time I’m questioning what is happening. I need to let go and just trust Him and do my best to glorify Him. That is why I’m here is to bring Him pleasure. God has created me for a purpose and I know what my goal is and that is to glorify and worship Him. God owes me nothing, but I owe Him everything.

Prayer: My Lord, I do love you and I want to trust you completely. You have been fully trustworthy, but your servant is weak and my mind wanders all the time. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and show me how to live this life. May I bring you pleasure each day.

Scripture Job 36:26 “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.

Observation: We know God loves us, but do we know why? He has mercy and take cares of our needs, but why does He care. What do we have to offer Him for all that He gives us. God’s word tells us about God’s nature and the things we are to obey in His commands, but why does He bother with us? We have little, if anything to offer the almighty God and yet He knows us from the beginning. He must have known the person I would become and yet He didn’t give up on me, why waste His time? I know He’s watching, but what is He thinking. We will never understand God, but at least we can understand what He desires of us.

Application: I need to be more obedient and do things for God’s glory and not mine. I have several outreaches I’ll be doing in the next couple of months, but am I doing them for Him or for me or am I just doing them because I can’t say no. God deserves my very best and that includes leading others to Him by the way I serve Him. I need to do a better job in this life, I’m so lazy and when I do serve, I’m not putting my whole heart into it. I need to change.

Prayer: Dear Lord you know everything and that includes my heart. Please soften it and give me that heart you desire me to have. Strengthen me and guide me each day to do your will and take this selfish and anger away from me. I love you and you deserve so much more from me.

Scripture Job 35:2 “Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?

Observation: We sometimes try to reason with God trying to convince Him we know what we are doing in spite of His word. We try to manipulate what God is saying and justify our actions. We will defend ourselves to others thinking that we know best and if God was here, he would agree. We are not righteous or will we ever be. The only time we come close is when we are being led by the Holy Spirit and even then, we sometimes resist. We sometimes need to think we are right at any cost instead of opening our eyes and admitting that we need God’s guidance and His mercy.

Application: I need to stop thinking that I’m right. I need to humble myself in front of my Lord and others. I need to learn to admit when I’m wrong and ask for forgiveness. I need to work on my anger and to love others. I need to learn that I’m not righteous and if I get anything right it’s only because God has guided me. I need to be doing everything for my Lord and master and that He gets the glory and not me. I’m a servant and I need to get that through my head.

Prayer: My Lord help me, take this pride away from me and humble me. Show me how to be your servant and to point others to you. In all that I do may you get the glory and praise. Please remove this anger and fear from me and calm my spirit and speak to me. Guide me to be the man you want me to be.