Learning from Job

Read Job 1 and 2 (in other words, the first two chapters of Job).

The Book of Job gives us a fascinating glimpse “behind the scenes,” into the very courts of God in heavenly places. The Bible treats this, by the way, as an event that really happened, not as allegory or fiction, so we should, too. We are told that God and Satan were having a conversation; the subject of their discussion was a man named Job, who was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Job was also very wealthy, and had a wonderful large family. Satan challenges God by claiming that if God allows Satan to destroy Job’s wealth, health, and family, Job will “curse You [God] to Your face.” God gives Satan permission, and Job’s great suffering begins.

In the midst of his tremendous sorrow and pain, Job nevertheless worships God, affirming that “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away – Blessed be the name of the Lord.” We are further told, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” Even when Job was mocked by his wife (“Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”), he stood firm: “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

Here is the thing that has always struck me about Job: He never finds out why all that bad stuff happened to him. Oh, he would like to have known – he cries out to God for some sort of answer, although his main concern was about whether there was anything sinful he did that caused it all to happen (he didn’t think there was, and he was apparently right). But, rather than give Job an explanation (“You see, Job, there was a sort of a bet between the devil and Me”), God famously responded to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (38:4).

God ultimately restored wealth and health and family (“replacement children”?) to Job, but (so far as we are told) Job never found out why all this had happened to him. It is natural to want to know why things (good and bad) happen to us. I think it is even appropriate to ask God for insight along those lines. I think sometimes God may tell us why he has let us go through certain things; sometimes we can look back and see how the things we have gone through have helped shape us in positive ways, by God’s grace. But I think we need to be careful not to demand explanations from God, or to think that he owes us an explanation. He is sovereign, and we may not ever know, this side of heaven at least, why God did what He did, or why He let any certain thing happen to us. Just like Job.

~ Dean Doug Cook, Regent University School of Law

Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:12-14)

If any of you have felt discouraged, unfocused, or weary in your journey, this verse is for you. We are encouraged and inspired to stay in the race and keep our eyes on Jesus as we strive forward, not letting our past drag us down, while at the same time, realizing soberly that we have not yet arrived . . .

We have not yet arrived. The first thing Paul points out is something most of us are painfully aware of every day: that we have not yet arrived. Does anyone feel like they have arrived? Most likely, none of you feel that way. And you are in good company. Because remember in this verse, who is talking? This is the apostle Paul talking about becoming like Christ. And as devoted as Paul was to spreading the gospel- sometimes at almost any cost, here he is admitting that even he hasn't arrived. And if Paul in all of his devotion and dedication to spreading the gospel hasn't arrived, what does that say about the rest of us? It is important that we not get discouraged about not having arrived. Especially when the going gets tough.

Our Goal. And regarding our goal, what does it say in verse 12: "but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." This is important to remember. Why are we doing all that we are doing in our lives? To fulfill the purpose for which Christ has taken hold of us. We aren't here by accident, and we aren't here to accomplish random acts. God isn't surprised that we are right where we are in life, because His plan is perfect. We are encouraged in this passage to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of us. Even when things don't seem to be going our way, we have the promise that everything will work out for our good (Romans 8:28).

Forgetting what is behind. Verses 13-14 tell us to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, "pressing on toward our goal to win the prize." This doesn't mean forget the past, and it doesn't mean don't learn from the past, it just means don't live in the past. Don't let the past be an anchor that weighs you down. The enemy would like to remind you of every bad thing you ever did. Don't fall for that! Your sins are forgiven and forgotten now that you have accepted Christ. Conversely don't rest on past accomplishments, but strive to look forward to continue to grow, and as this verse says, strain towards what is ahead.

Be patient and don't get discouraged. None of us have arrived but what we all have in common, is that Christ has taken a hold of us and inspired us to have faith and look forward to what is ahead. Let us all work toward this common goal, together.

Lord, help me to focus on you, and not get bogged down by my past or by the challenges of my current circumstances. Instill in me the faith to trust that you have great plans for me. When I put my trust in you I allow myself to persevere in the great race of life, motivated by your promise of eternal life in you at the finish line.

~ With thanks to Brent McBurney, Director of Attorney Ministries, Christian Legal Society

God Causes All Things to Work Together! (Rom. 8:28)

Romans 8:28 (NAS): And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

As Christian lawyers, we need to understand the implications of this verse. We do not operate in a closed universe. The things that we do, and that our clients do, and that our clients have done to them, are not the ultimate determiners of what happens. All of those matter, of course. But there is a causal God behind everything, who is orchestrating His plans through us and even, if necessary, in spite of us. The whole of scripture teaches that God is causally active in all things, not just on behalf of those who love him. Romans 8:28 is just one slice of his omnipotent activity.

As a Christian lawyer, I am personally encouraged by this verse. I qualify, as you can, as someone who loves God (albeit imperfectly) and who is called (to the best of my faulty human ability) according to His purpose. So I can therefore go confidently about my days, trusting that He is faithful to His promise to work everything for my good. A couple of things to observe. First, in the Greek, “all things” means, “all things.” God isn’t just making a few things here and there work for my good. He is literally (if this verse is to be believed, and I think it is) making everything in the universe work toward my good. And not only that, all those trillions of things are working together! God makes them cooperate! I cannot usually make more than two or three things in my life cooperate together toward any single end. Yet God makes everything work together for my good, and for yours, and for everybody else who loves him, and is called according to his purpose. What a great God He is!

~ Associate Dean Doug Cook, Regent University School of Law