JOB

I sure enjoyed preaching last night, and I preached from Job 26.  Man VS God.  I pray it blessed a lot of people.  Good to have someone else baptized and join the church.  That makes three services in a row!  Wow.  Tokens for good!  Yesterday, I heard someone came by the church on Tuesday to put in a tithe check of $3,500.00 (another token for good)  Last night Bro. Steve mentioned the need to help some young people get to Youth Camp, and our church committed almost $1,600.00 in just about five minutes.  (token for good!)  What responsive, godly people I pastor.  Not godly in the sense of "near perfect", but godly in the sense of "have a real heart for God"..  It is amazing! I'm in Job today, and here are a few nuggets of golden truths I've mined from God's precious book: 1) PROFIT?  In Job 21, Job is talking about the rich and their attitudes toward God.  The whole chapter deals with this subject.  In verse 13, he says: "They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave."  vs. 14 "Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us: for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways."  vs. 15 "What is the Almighty that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?" Here, Job is saying that many times, if not most, the rich see no profit in serving God.  They look at those who serve God and see their misfortunes, their seeming poverty, their trials, and don't desire what God has to offer.  BUT, they are making their decisions by what is outwardly displayed!  They do not see the Christians name written down in Heaven!  They do not see the joy of Jesus placed in their hearts!  They do not see the love for God and people placed in the heart of Christians by the Holy Spirit!  They do not know the peace that passes all understanding that comes from a knowledge that your sins are forgiven!  They do not possess Heaven as their eternal home!  They have not escaped the torments of Hell for an eternity!  PROFIT?  What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own eternal soul?  Friend, their is PROFIT in JESUS!! 2) YES!  That is the answer, now listen to the question:  Job 22:3  "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?"  The answer is:  YES!  In Psalms 4:3, it says:  "But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself:  the LORD will hear when I call unto him."  God sets apart the godly for Himself!!  Yes, God takes pleasure in the righteous.... a man or woman who has a heart for God! 3) SONGS IN THE NIGHT- I love them, hate them!  In Job 35:10 it says:  "But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;"  I am not a singer, but I very often get a song in my mind that I sing all night long in my mind when I should be sleeping!  I get usually only a phrase of the song that the choir sung that week, the children sang at VBS, a song I heard on a Christian CD, only a phrase of it that I repeat over and over and over and over until I'm exhausted..... BUT... this is not what the passage is talking about.  It is talking about going through a trial that is so terrible it puts you in darkness and yet in that darkness, God gives you a song!  Like Paul and Silas at midnight!  I love that kind of song, just not the ones that keep me up all night sometimes.  Well, I had better close for now, I could type out so much more.  Hope these little nuggets of golden truths help you to see how very rich God's Word is today and everyday!  May God's blessings be yours to enjoy! Pastor Mike Mutchler,  Grand View Baptist Church