The Heart of Job!

My kinsmen have gone away;
       my friends have forgotten me.

My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger;
       they look upon me as an alien.

I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
       though I beg him with my own mouth.

My breath is offensive to my wife;
       I am loathsome to my own brothers.

Even the little boys scorn me;
       when I appear, they ridicule me.

All my intimate friends detest me;
       those I love have turned against me.

Job 19:14-19

The suffering of Job still sets the standard for stories about righteous men from whom God’s blessings are removed. Those blessings were removed not to punish Job or even to discipline him. Job was basically abandoned by God to prove to Satan that Job’s love for God was pure and without ulterior motive.

Was Job sinless? Of course not! All have sinned and that included Job.

A very rich man once told me about the difficulty of being wealthy and having true friends. He said that his money made the compliments of his “friends” less than always trustworthy. Hearts become suspect when money, fame or power is involved. How long does it take for a wealthy young bachelor to find a wife who would have married him even if he had been a pauper?

As a part of the “Bride of Christ” God knows your heart. He knows if you love Jesus purely or if your love is tainted with the pursuit of something else, anything else. Sometimes God will strip away everything else so you can see your own heart! It is what happens to every believer who lives a long life. Slowly, and yet relentlessly most of the blessings of youth fall away as you become old and you are left with Jesus alone!

By His own promise, Jesus will never forsake us! We may lose everything else, but nothing can separate us from the love of Christ!