Job 1:8

New International Version (NIV)

 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

For meditation

1. Have you ever seen a proud dad in the stands at a junior league game shouting, “That’s my boy”? Or, have you ever been that dad? How did you feel?
2. Don’t we all wish our children would excel in everything, and in a manner that makes us proud? Doesn’t that bring a good feeling about ourselves that we’ve done a good job raising them? After all, who wants their name to be associated with an ill-mannered child who brings dishonor to their parents?
3. So, can you see how God felt boasting about Job to Satan (Job 1:8; 2:3)? Can you envision the twinkle in God’s eyes, talking about His “blameless and upright” servant – the joy, contentment, calm assurance, and pride in Job?
4. Now, can God feel that way about us, considering the manner of our comportment in Christ? Can He be so sure of our maturity, steadfastness, and faithfulness to even suggest us to Satan the way He did about Job? Can God be confident about our character and resilience in today’s world, enough to boast about us?
5. After all the grace God has lavished on us in Christ (Eph. 1:7-8), that enables us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passion (Titus 2:12), as we put on His armor in the struggle against Satan and his surrogates (Eph. 6:10-18); don’t you think God expects much honor from our lives as in Job, Joseph, and Daniel? But, do we give Him that pleasure?

I pray we recognize our responsibility in this matter, and to determine to walk in holiness; recognizing that “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron. 16:9). More than that; a grand welcome and reward awaits the faithful in Christ, to which we can joyfully anticipate, if we determine to honor Him with our lives (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

So: May we endure hardship as God’s beloved, knowing that God may be bragging about us as He works through all our struggles to perfect us in Christ (Heb. 12:7); and may the cheers of the “great cloud of witnesses” that surround us (1), urge us on to the finish line for God’s glory!

Shalom