DAILY MANNA BY PASTOR W.F.KUMUYI FRIDAY 10TH MAY 2019.
TOPIC: DOES IT HURT?
BIBLE TEXT: Job 22:1-20
1. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?4. Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?5. Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?6. For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.7. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.8. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.9. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.10. Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;11. Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.12. Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!13. And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?14. Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.15. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?16. Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood;17. Which said unto God, Depart from us; and what can the Almighty do for them?18. Yet he filled their houses with good things; but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.19. The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn.20. Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
KEY VERSE:
“Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.” – (Job 22:7).
DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE FOR TODAY
Nothing hurts more than an unfair criticism or unkind words from someone you think is sufficiently so close as to understand and empathize with you when in a difficult situation. Shakespeare, in one of his great classics, Julius Caesar, pointed out this fact when Caesar, the brave Roman warrior and king stoutly confronted the conspirators but became weak and feeble when he discovered that Brutus, one of his most trusted confidants, was among the conspirators. He subsequently gave up the ghost and died with a feeling of betrayal, muttering, “et tu Brute?”
The passage reveals the words of Eliphaz, the Temanite, one of Job’s close friends at a very difficult moment in his life. His comments were no doubt harsh, sharp, unfair and untrue about the person of Job. This reflects the experiences of many in the world in terms of how people see them when things go awry.
Eliphaz simply concluded that Job was suffering for his great wickedness and several iniquities. Situations like this have led some to have severe psychological trauma such as depression, loss of self-confidence and self-esteem while some have become withdrawn or even stopped trusting others. Some have even taken the most extreme step of suicide in order to avoid shame and ridicule. The good news, however, is that there is a “friend that sticketh closer than a brother”, a Friend that loves to the end no matter your circumstances. He is Jesus Christ. He laid down His life for His friends. He knows your sorrows and pains.
Have you been going through pain because those you trusted stabbed you at the back? Or you think you have been used and dumped? Do not give in to discouragement or bitterness. Come to Jesus with your heavy heart and burden and He will take everything away and replace your sorrow with joy and your guilt with pardon.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Jesus is the Friend who never fails.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 5-7
