Neither of the twins was particularly praiseworthy. Jacob certainly wasn’t acting out of the purest of intentions when his brother came back to camp, hungry and frustrated from a fruitless hunt. Jacob doubtless knew his brother well, and he had probably been plotting to take advantage of Esau’s impulsive nature….

“Give me Isaac.” God might as well have said, “Give me all your hopes and dreams. Give me everything that is near and dear to you.” What kind of God would make such a test? What kind of God do we have? Maybe that’s not an academic question for you…

It’s easy to look at the joys in life and come to the wrong conclusions. Over the last several weeks, we’ve seen how wrong Job’s friends were to assume that those who suffer must be wicked, somehow deserving the hardships that come their way. Well, today’s passage also demonstrates that…

“God, I’ve got a great idea! Please bless me in this!” Maybe you’ve prayed this sort of prayer, honestly and sincerely. And maybe your idea is an honest attempt to do something for God, to advance the cause of His Kingdom. What could possibly be wrong with that? Surely, God…

Do you ever feel like people are taking advantage of you? Are you tired of picking up the slack for folks who don’t seem to be pulling their weight? Does it seem like others always get the better end of the deal, and you have to settle for second best?…

What reassures you and gives you comfort when your life just doesn’t make sense? Job thought he wanted understanding. He spent the greater portion of this book asking God to explain why he was suffering so much. But when God finally showed up, He didn’t answer any of Job’s questions….

So often, when we don’t receive an answer from God, it’s because we are asking the wrong question. Job wanted to know why he had lost his family, his wealth and his health. He knew his friends were wrong when they said he must have done something bad to bring…

Is suffering good for you? Well, that depends on your reaction to it. Some people become angry and bitter when hard times come their way (36:13). Some give into despair, only wanting to “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” – giving themselves over to empty pleasures (36:14)…

Has suffering ever done you any good? Has it helped you to realize that you have been going in the wrong direction? Now, this wasn’t the case for Job. As we learned in the first two chapters of this book, Job hadn’t committed any great sin that brought all his…

Bible Reading for January 11 – Job 29-31 What makes you feel nostalgic? What do you long for from your personal past? Maybe it’s that wonderful feeling of freedom you had when the last school bell rang on the last day before summer vacation. Maybe it’s the way your first…