The Job story has always freaked me out. You know the part. God says to the enemy…Have you noticed my servant Job?
Really? You gonna put me out there like that? On Main Street?
You gonna out me to the devil? Really? Because you love me? Because I’m special to you? Really?
And the result was…just look at what happened to Job?
Job was the “just in case of sin” guy.
His children liked to party…nothing too wild I suppose since it was right on the parents’ grounds. Anyway, the morning after…
That’s a sermon in itself. The morning after…the day of regrets…the day of trying to remember what happened the night before…the day of OMG, I couldn’t have…some of us have had morning after thoughts.
Anyway, father Job, knowing the children were partying the night before…how much trouble can you get in with unfermented wine, no drugs, no weed and dancing while singing your own music.
Anyway, Job offered a sacrifice the next morning just in case someone sinned.
How much was he intent that his household remain acceptable before the Lord? How determined was he that the Lord would always be pleased with his family. What a perfect householder. A perfect man. Not a sinless man, but a man devoted to serve the Lord wholly, both himself and his household.
One day when the angels presented themselves as usual before the Lord, God turns to Satan and asks whether or not he has noticed Job. Really?
But is this a reasonable expectation?
Should our lives be on display for the Lord?
To proclaim his goodness and glory all the time?
Scary? Being on display?
Being living epistles?
In case you didn’t know…Jesus came to put our lives on display as signs of the kingdom…to let others know what kingdom living is all about, to let others know just what God is willing to do in our lives.
That’s the miracle of salvation.
God who is all perfect takes something that is all corrupt and turns that something into light, salt and a purveyor of love and grace.
Light.
Salt.
Love.
Grace.
Dorothy Scott Boulware 