My high school drafting teacher was a patient man—and my classmates sorely tested him in this. They had a perverse enjoyment in pushing him to his breaking point, because when he had enough, he exploded with a tirade of invective.
The word patient occurs 27 times in the Bible, often referring to God’s patience with us. Yet just like my drafting instructor, God’s patience isn’t without limit (2 Chronicles 36:16).
We see this over and over in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, but it hits me most profoundly when God loses his patience with the nation of Judah.
The text simply says, “There was no remedy.” That means no second chances. Saying “I’m sorry” won’t help. God had enough and that was it.
It reminds me not to try God’s patience, for one time he may say “enough is enough; there is no remedy and no second chances.” I never want to hear those words.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
The words of Job’s friend Eliphaz fail to comfort him. Instead they stir up anger. With a friend who speaks like Eliphaz I’d be angry too. In Job’s reply to his so-called friend, he professes what he has done to align himself with God. He claims his practices prove his devotion to his Lord.
Job Follows God
Job says that he follows closely
behind God. It’s as if he walks in God’s shadow, placing each step in the
footprint of his Lord. With intention he trails after God, focusing on staying right
behind him.
Job Resists Distractions
Job follows God with unswerving
dedication. He keeps his eyes fixed on God, walking in his path. Job does not
look to his left or to his right. He tunes out worldly distractions so he can
remain steadfast in keeping aligned with God, going everywhere that God goes.
Job Obeys God’s Commands
Next Job says that he keeps the
commands of God. He listens to what God says and follows his words with unswerving
commitment. It’s as if Job pauses in expectation for God to speak. Then he immediately
obeys him, doing everything he says to do.
Job Treasures God’s Words
Job ends his testimony saying that he values God’s words more than food. Though we might think this refers to the written Word of God, the Bible, it does not. Job likely lives in a time before the Scriptures existed. This means Job treasures the spoken words of God.
Job would rather feed his soul by
listening to God then feed his body by eating food. For Job to hear God speak,
Job must remain in close relationship with him.
The Outcome of Job’s Devotion
Job is a man who carefully follows God
with singular focus, obeying him and valuing everything he says. It’s an example
of godly devotion we will do well to follow.
You’d think that for Job’s
dedication, God would bless him and keep him from discomfort. Yet for this time
in Job’s life, he is in much distress and God’s blessings are absent in his
life. Though a positive and pleasant outcome await Job, it’s far removed from
his present life.
This is a hard reality to accept
and to comprehend. Yet there are two things we must remember. First, God is
Sovereign and can do whatever he wants.
We must accept this truth even if we don’t like it.
Second, there is nothing we can do
to earn God’s favor. He loves us regardless of what we do or don’t do. In the
end, we, like Job, will see God’s blessing and reward. Until then we should
follow Job’s example of devotion to our Lord.
Discover more about Job in Peter’s book I Hope in Him: 40 Insights about Moving from Despair to Deliverance through the Life of Job. In it, we compare the text of Job to a modern screenplay.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Each Day We Must Seek God for the Provisions We Need
Asking God to supply us with our daily bread at one time mystified me. It seemed like a vain repetition (Matthew 6:7) for something that didn’t matter to me. Yet when I learned the context of this request, it made sense.
Two thousand years ago many people struggled with food scarcity. Having enough to eat was a daily concern.
Asking God to provide us with the bread we need each day is, therefore, a request for what we need to live. And it’s a reminder to depend on him to take care of us.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray in this way (Matthew 6:9-13). It’s a model for us to guide our daily prayers. One of my daily practices is to recite this passage and then pray it in my own words.
To keep this prayer from becoming a rote exercise, I strive to vary my wording and to contemplate each phrase as I make my request.
My version of “give us today our daily bread” became something like “God, give us today what we need to live.”
As I begin thinking about praying for our daily bread in this way, I developed an image of what that request meant. It evolved over time and eventually became an incorrect perspective of seeking God’s daily provisions for our lives.
Though this took place over several years, I got to a point where when I asked God to give us today our daily bread, I envisioned an old stingy man, wearing a dingy gray robe, handing me one small piece of bread and a tiny cup of water.
This was the basic provision I needed to stay alive. And that was what he was giving me.
Yet God is not stingy.
He wants to supply us extravagantly with what we need, with what we ask for. James reminds us that we have not because we ask not (James 4:2).
I desperately needed to change my perspective of what it meant when it came to God supplying me with my daily bread.
My Daily Bread
To reform my view, I begin to envision God in a grand storehouse of provisions, one heaped high with every possible thing I could need. He stands in this vast warehouse of supplies he’s prepared for me and my family.
Wearing a royal robe and impressive gold crown, he sports a broad smile. He stretches his arms wide in a grand display of generosity. It’s all there for me. He’s already prepared what I need for my day, and it’s in stock, ready for me in a moment. All I need to do is ask.
So instead of saying something like “God, give us today what we need to live,” I updated my wording.
Envisioning his grand stockpile of what he’s prepared for me, I expectantly say something like “God, give us today what we need to live . . . and to thrive . . . and to accomplish your call on our lives.”
That’s what I ask for, and that’s what I receive.
And just like the Israelites gathering their manna—their daily bread—each day (Exodus 16:14-31), I, too, make this request of God each morning.
It would be foolish for me not to.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
God created people and animals, the Animal Kingdom (Genesis 1:26). At first, everything was great. Then Adan and Eve did what God told them not to do. They sinned. He kicked them out of the Garden of Eden.
Things went downhill from there. More people and more sin. A lot more sin. Finally God had enough. He wanted to start over, to wipe the slate clean.
He sent a flood to destroy all the people, except for Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. All the other people, along with all the animals die—because of humanity’s sin.
This, of course, is not fair to the animals. They didn’t do anything wrong, but they’re taken out because of man’s mistakes.
There is an interesting parallel in this today. Man’s behavior is again threatening the lives of animals. This time man’s mistakes result in excessive economic gain and greedy prosperity at the expense of animal habitat.
God did give the earth to man, but to take care of it, not to exploit it.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
In the eighth chapter of Ezekiel, God takes the prophet to Jerusalem to see the area around the temple. Each place God takes him, Ezekiel looks and sees the people doing things God abhors. God says he’ll drive them from his sanctuary.
After several recurrences, the chapter ends with God’s response to the people’s vile actions. He says:
I will deal with them in anger.
I will not look on them with pity.
I will not spare them.
I will not listen to them, even though they shout.
The people did what the Holy one detested. Their actions served to drive God away from the sanctuary. They would get what they deserved.
I wonder if we do the same thing with some of our religious practices at church today? Do we do things God detests? Do we drive him away? I hope it isn’t so, but fear it is.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
We Must Remove Anything That Threatens to Push God Aside
Asaph writes that God’s ways are holy, and that no other god is as great as he. Great is our God. In the context of that day, other gods refers to idols or made-up deities aside from the God revealed in Scripture.
Today bowing down to idols and making up gods to worship doesn’t often happen in a literal sense. But in a figurative manner we do this all the time.
Here are some modern-day gods that many people effectively worship and serve as their lord:
Money
In many cultures, people pursue money as if it’s the only thing that matters. They don’t just want money to live, but they live for money and love money. They treat their investment portfolio and their bank balance as a scorecard for success.
Their priorities are wrong. What the world values is seldom what God values. Instead of trusting in money, they should trust in God.
In developed countries, people are materialistic. Having more than enough money to supply their daily needs, many use their excess wealth to accumulate possessions. They buy stuff with the expectation that it will make them happier and more fulfilled. It never does.
My dad often said, “You don’t own things. They own you.” He was so wise. Remember, God blesses us so that we can bless others.
Instead of seeking solace through possessions, we should first seek connection with the Almighty (Matthew 6:33).
Influence
Another thing some people elevate too highly in their lives is the ability to influence others. Influence isn’t necessarily bad. We can influence others to follow Jesus (see Matthew 5:16). And we should.
Yet for some, the unbridled quest of influence has surpassed their quest for God.
Respect
Others pursue the god of respect. I see this happen too often among church leaders who insist their followers addressed them using their credentials, such as Reverend, Doctor, or Father. This was prevalent in Jesus’s day, too, and he warned against it (Matthew 23:9 and Mark 12:38-39).
Though descriptive titles can aid in understanding, they can also become a sense of pride. Examples I often hear include senior pastor, lead pastor, and teaching pastor.
Approval
Another consideration is seeking the approval of others. We may have a psychological need to earn someone’s approval. But this isn’t God’s intention. Paul warns against this and writes that we should only seek God’s approval (Galatians 1:10).
Great is our God
None of these pursuits—money, possessions, influence, respect, or approval—are necessarily bad. But when we chase after them like gods, we run the risk of them becoming more important to us then God.
Great is our God. Everything else is secondary, if even that.
Be Sure to Follow Through on What You Promise to Do
Have you ever promised God that you’d do something for him? Sometimes these occur from the Holy Spirit’s stirring within our souls. Yet other times, these come at a traumatic moment in a person’s life when they’re in the middle of a crisis. They bargain with the Almighty. They make a conditional vow to God: “If you get me out of this jam, then I will do ______ for you.”
What goes in the blank varies. It may be an act of service, to give money, or to change a behavior, either to start doing something good or to stop doing something they shouldn’t be doing. Regardless of the promise they make and the fact that it contains a stipulation for God to act first, the result is they are making a vow to God.
I’m not sure how God views these provisional pledges. On one hand it seems a bit manipulative by the person making the promise. Yet there is the potential for good to come out of it, providing the person making the pledge keeps their vow to God.
Lest there be any doubt about it, God expects us to follow through and keep our vow. In the book of Numbers, Moses writes that when we make a vow to God or promise to do something we must keep our word and not break our pledge (Numbers 30:2).
Though the Bible doesn’t require us to make a vow to God, it does clearly state that if we choose to do so, we must follow through and do all that we promised.
Moses later writes an additional command on the subject. He adds that when we make a vow to God, we must not be slow in fulfilling that promise. To procrastinate is a sin (Deuteronomy 23:21). A delayed obedience is disobedience.
Jesus repeats this instruction in his Sermon on the Mount. Then he adds a wise addendum, telling the crowd that the better solution is to not make a promise in God’s name (Matthew 5:33-34).
This last part is wise advice for us to follow. Don’t make a rash vow to God. Instead, live a life where we don’t feel we have to.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
In Revelation we read about the dragon and the beast, a great battle, and the tribulation the whole world faces.
The Beast
Embedded in the middle of this epic tale, we see a curious revelation. John writes that the beast is given power to wage war against God’s people that he created. John says the beast is given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation (Revelation 13:7).
Who gave the beast his power and authority?
God.
If God can grant the beast power and authority over the world and all creation, then that means God is more powerful than the beast and the forces of evil.
Think about this.
Contrary to what many people think, God and Satan do not exist as equal players in the age-old war of good versus evil. God is superior to Satan. God created Satan, albeit for good. Satan, in his pride, rebelled against God and has fought him ever since.
You see, the battle isn’t fair. God has the upper hand. Satan functions within the limits God places on him.
The Final Battle: God Wins; Satan Loses
That means in the final battle, we already know the winner. The victory goes to God. Satan loses. Big time.
If we’re on God’s team, we’re on the winning side. And for those who follow the enemy, they’ll lose along with him.
God’s in charge. God is more powerful then evil. Let’s not forget that. When we go with God, we go with the winner.
To him be the honor, and the glory, and the power, forever and ever. Amen.
Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Too Many People Fail to See God at Work and Instead Oppose Those Who Follow Him into His New Ways
Jesus warns his followers what awaits them. First, they’ll get kicked out of their church and then people will kill them. Their opponents will do so in the name of religion, thinking they’re acting in service to God, but their actions fight against God.
This means the killers aren’t coming from the world but from within the family of God.
Historically this happens whenever a new move of God occurs. The biggest movement of God was Jesus coming to fulfill the Old Testament Law. Most people miss this, and so they oppose him.
Moses
There is also Moses who leads the people from slavery to freedom. He gives them instructions on how to live as a free people. They oppose him—for forty years. Though they don’t kill him, they provoke him so much that sometimes he wishes he was dead (Exodus 32:32 and Numbers 11:15).
The Prophets
The Old Testament prophets likewise suffer opposition and death. It seldom goes well for them.
Today’s Church Can Fight Against God
The pattern of religious conflict continues since the time of Jesus. Most notably the Reformation. Christians oppose other Christians. Christians hate other Christians. And Christians kill other Christians.
Another momentous time of Christian versus Christian hostility happens at the birth of the Charismatic movement in the early 1900s and again at its rebirth in the 1960s.
Each time God is at work doing a new thing. Each time, many of his people mount a significant opposition. And God’s messengers usually suffer for it.
Gamaliel’s Wise Advice
Don’t label the people who follow God into his new way of doing things as heretics and oppose them. Instead, we would be better off heeding the words of Gamaliel who told the religious leaders, “Don’t bother with them.
If they’re doing this on their own, they will fail. But if it’s of God, we can’t stop them—and could end up fighting against God himself,” (see Acts 5:38-39). That is, don’t fight against God.
Instead of kicking the people we disagree with out of church, we would be better off seeing if God is at work. Instead of arguing, let’s listen.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
The book of Proverbs overflows with wise advice and thought-provoking sayings. Often these one-liners produce the material for great soundbites or social media memes.
Yet some parts require a bit more work before we can find value in their words. Such is the case with Proverbs 14:28. It says, “A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.”
Yeah, I get it. A king swells with pride over having a large kingdom with many subjects. Conversely, without people there is no need for a ruler.
So how does this apply to us today?
Let’s move from the concept of kings and subjects—which most of us have no experience in—and move to the idea of leaders and followers. This helps a lot. This verse teaches us about leadership.
Leaders Require Followers
Leaders have followers. Without followers, they have no one to lead. Some leaders have many followers, and others, just a few. Yet all leaders must have followers. It’s a requirement for leadership. You can’t have one without the other.
Whether it’s in business, nonprofits, or churches, the leaders of these institutions must have followers. Otherwise the organization cannot continue, as its survival requires both leaders and followers.
When followers don’t respect a leader, they soon cease following. While some leaders inspire loyal followers, the leadership of others has the opposite effect. They push people away.
If you’re leader, look at your followers. If your number of followers is growing, their actions demonstrate loyalty, and you have a stable base, this implies you’re an effective leader.
However, if your number of followers is shrinking (or nonexistent), you struggle to get them to do what you want, and your team keeps leaving, this implies you’re an ineffective leader. Though you can develop leadership skills, it may already be too late if your followers are scattering.
Followers Makes Leaders
What if you don’t view yourself as a leader or aren’t in a leadership position, but always have people around you, asking your opinion or wondering what they should do next? Maybe you’re a leader. Or at least it proves people view you as a leader, as someone they want to follow.
In fact, these people are already following you. They see leadership qualities in you. It’s just that you don’t realize it. While you could send them away to follow someone else, accept the respect they place in you and work to become a better leader for them.
While this may not be a recognized position, the fact that you have followers confirms the reality that you’re a leader.
God intends some people to lead and others to follow. Make sure you function in the role he created for you. Trying to be a leader when you’re not or ignoring your leadership when other people see it in you, causes you to fall short of what God wants for you.
While the world values leaders and applauds them, God has a different perspective. He affirms those who do what he calls them to do, both leaders and followers.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
