7 “Are you defending God with lies?
Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
8 Will you slant your testimony in his favor?
Will you argue God’s case for him?
9 What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?
Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?
10 No, you will be in trouble with him
if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.
11 Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?
Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?
12 Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.
Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.
The Book of Job is a tough pill to swallow for many who read it. The things God allows to happen in Job's life are heart-breaking from the limited scope of our linear perspective. Yet, listen to his words: "Will you slant your testimony in His favor?" How many of us, in this modern spiritual climate, when multitudes shake their fist to the sky and accuse God of the brutalities committed by their fellow man (all the while dismissing His Lordship for their own) - how many of us have tried to slant our testimony in His favor? How often do we try to make God "look good?" To twist our testimony just enough to win back the heart of the lost to His goodness? Yet, here is Job - struggling to survive the bitter onslaught of an enemy committed to obliterating his faith and condemning his soul by using his own fears as a blueprint for destroying everything he holds dear. And in the midst of this acidic experience Job maintains a indefatigable grip on his humility and God's sovereignty. "Do NOT make excuses for God - or you make Him out to be less than He is," he says. God doesn't need our defense - or anything else from us. He is after our hearts. All he wants is 100% of our hearts, 100% of the time. He wants our worship. Not because He is an egomaniac, but because He is Life Eternal. And worship (the supernatural "bow and kiss"), as the essential expression of intimate relationship with Him, exposes us to the life of God and immunizes us to any long-range plan the enemy could conjure against us.
As Augustine of Hippo has said, so rightly, "The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself." Friends, let's let God be God. Worship Him. Kiss the Son and soar above destruction. (Psalm 2:12). Don't slant your testimony. Speak truth. Stay humble. And let the Lion roar for Himself.
Forever panning for gold,
Chris Liotta
No comments:
Post a Comment