Breakfast with Job

As I sat in the Finish Line earlier this week I had breakfast with Job. I guess what I should say is that I read through part of Job while enjoying a breakfast of soft scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.

I have read through the book of Job more than a dozen times and I am still fascinated by his love for God and total devotion. In the midst of great suffering Job held fast his integrity and continued to worship God. Job loved God more than his family, wealth, and even his own health. He challenges me at this point.

I recently heard a pastor say that the point of Job is that God wants us to love Him most of all. Too often we love God for what He can do for us and when He does not resolve our problems in a timely manner our faith and devotion begin to falter. Job loved God most.

That does not mean that he did not love each of his ten children. That does mean he did not care about the well being of all his servants that worked for him. It does not even mean that he did not appreciate the great wealth God had entrusted to Him. He loved God more than all the above.

Because of that great love for the Lord Job could still trust God and praise Him in the middle of grief and personal agony. Though friends judged him and falsely accused him, he still loved God more.

My bet is you would not even be reading this book if you did not love God. You probably have some devotion time. You are most likely involved in a local church. You may even devote hours of service in your local church. Here is the crux of the issue. Do you love God more than your family? Do you love God more than house, cars, fashionable clothing? Do you love God more than your children’s accomplishments? Do you love God more than your own comfort and success?

No matter how you and I might answer those questions I don’t think the truth can really be known until you are stripped of some of those things. I have personally witnessed people tragically lose a spouse and a parent and still cling to God in trust and worship like Job did. Yes, many tears were shed but these people clung to their sanity because the loved God more.

I have seen athletes work toward their senior season and miss most of it due to injury while still giving God glory. How does one do that? You can only do it when you love God more than football, basketball, volleyball, and baseball. You can do it when on the national stage playing for the national championship and you get knocked out of the game earlier on like Colt McCoy did his senior year. In the biggest game of his life he knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury against Alabama and did not return. When interviewed after the game he gave God glory. Colt loved God more than football, the University of Texas, and the national championship.

I have failed miserably at this point. When God called us to leave First Baptist Church of Seminole, TX to start Faith Community Church in Paradise, TX it also meant leaving behind our house. At the point of this writing it still has not sold. We are about to downsize into a rent house five hundred square feet smaller than our house back in West Texas. Do we love God more? Do the Edwards love God more than houses and land? If I were to be completely honest with you I would have to say on days we have loved God more and on other days our actions and attitudes have indicated otherwise.

Having breakfast with Job was a good reminder. It helped put things back in perspective for me. Enjoying my eggs and Job’s unwavering devotion to the Lord nourished my body but more importantly nourished my soul. God knew what I needed today. He knew sitting with the book of Job would pull me out of the doldrums and set my feet on the firm foundation of confidence in Him.

Go ahead and pull out your Bible. Maybe you will not be seated at the Finish Line but at your dining table eating dinner instead of breakfast. Open up to the book of Job and read all of chapter one and chapter two. Let God use Job to inspire you to keep loving, keep trusting, and to keep worshipping.