There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. Job 1:1-3 (NKJV)
There is a place in life where many people find it difficult to serve God. Before you jump to the wrong conclusion let me interject that I am probably going in the opposite direction of what you might suppose. I'm talking about serving the purposes of God when everything in life is going right. When you are wealthy...when close personal relationships are working out...when you are surrounded by friends, colleagues and neighbors that like you...in those times when it seems as if everything you touch is turning into gold. It can be a real challenge to live for God when everything in life seems to be blessed.
This is one of the more impressive, but seldom mentioned facets of Job's story. He was "The greatest of all the people of the East." The words that describe Job during that period of life would be wealthy, influential, fulfilled, and in some circles, he was probably considered to be a "lucky" man. In spite of the easy life, Job was blameless and upright. This makes him unique. Through the years I have observed people, who were raised in the church, who really struggled with their spiritual life when they became famous or wealthy. In discussing this phenomena Jesus said, "I'll say it again--it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"
This makes Job an exceptional example. In spite of everything that was going “right” in Job’s life, he was a good and upright man. The Bible tells us that God evaluates people differently than “we” do. We look at the outside appearance and pass our judgments. Which are subjective at best. God looks past everything that defines us to others and looks at the heart. It is in that place that God really knows us and sees us accurately. What did God see when He examined the heart of Job? He must have been impressed. "Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?' " When God is impressed by an individual you can take it to the bank, we are talking about a really, really, really good person. Job was such a man.
This is one of the more impressive, but seldom mentioned facets of Job's story. He was "The greatest of all the people of the East." The words that describe Job during that period of life would be wealthy, influential, fulfilled, and in some circles, he was probably considered to be a "lucky" man. In spite of the easy life, Job was blameless and upright. This makes him unique. Through the years I have observed people, who were raised in the church, who really struggled with their spiritual life when they became famous or wealthy. In discussing this phenomena Jesus said, "I'll say it again--it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"
This makes Job an exceptional example. In spite of everything that was going “right” in Job’s life, he was a good and upright man. The Bible tells us that God evaluates people differently than “we” do. We look at the outside appearance and pass our judgments. Which are subjective at best. God looks past everything that defines us to others and looks at the heart. It is in that place that God really knows us and sees us accurately. What did God see when He examined the heart of Job? He must have been impressed. "Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?' " When God is impressed by an individual you can take it to the bank, we are talking about a really, really, really good person. Job was such a man.
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