Job 5:11

Word on the Way is a passage sent out daily by Way.FM

Friday, June 4
Job 5:11 He [God] gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer.

Passages like these have caused some to leave the faith completely. For some it has caused struggle. I have struggled; because it sounds so good until I look at the world. Then like many I begin to question, which leads to doubt, which for some leads to not believing at all. How do you answer, "Where was God when my mother died? during the holocaust? in war? etc." Pick the scenario; but when you look at the raw brokenness of life, trite words and phrases learned in Sunday School seem empty and useless. Where is God? He is there; but maybe not in the way you think He is.

The Bible is often described as a love story, albeit an odd one sometimes and maybe that's because it's a Hebrew love story not a Hollywood love story. God created us in His image and loves us. He made us His people. We rebelled. He loves us so much He wants to be married to us. So, His son came down to pay the price for us. Then He left to prepare a place for us. So, He sent us His Holy Spirit. To dwell in us. See, in Gensis when Adam and Eve are married by God, there is a verse that reads: "This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one (Genesis 2:24, NLT)." This is God's picture of marriage. Paul describes the church as a "a pure bride to one husband—Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2, NLT)." If we are the bride of Christ then we are to be united to Him as ONE! We are to be ONE with GOD!! Paul even describes the Church as the body of Christ! "All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27, NLT)."

Isn't that wonderful! We are one with our savior Jesus Christ our Lord and God.

Isn't it sobering. Think about it.
We are His body. We are His body. We are His body.

Do you get it yet? I'm still struggling to grasp it fully; because if I really am part of His body, doesn't that mean that I represent Him. His Holy Spirit is supposed to be in me, and I'm supposed to be His body...yeah, well look at my life and tell me if I really look like Christ. The answer is no.

Christ's love has redeemed me. Christ has promised Himself to me, and as a token He has provided the Holy Spirit, which is like having Christ anyway because the Holy Spirit is the third part of the same God. So, I'm free from who I was and now I'm part of the body of Christ. We have overused that word and it means something different now. Think about what that word really means! Because right now the 'body' of Christ has Parkensons. We are not listening to Christ our head at all! And that is why this verse is not relevant to our world. That is why people leave the Church. That is why we are the biggest hypocrites in town. That is why others have to step in the gap and do our job - healing the sick, visiting the widows, orphans, and prisoners, clothing the homeless, feeding the hungry, saving the lost, stopping human trafficking, ending wars, fighting against injustice, etc., etc., etc. and another never ending etc.!

But there is an end to injustice and suffering, and we have the key. It is Christ. Through Christ we enter into the presence of our Lord, we enter heaven. It is our love for the one who loved us first, and loves us still, which must compel us to be like Him and to do and be and speak the good news.