TLIC Family. Day 60. March 1: The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.

THINK TOGETHER

What is one good thing that’s happened to you recently? What’s one bad thing that’s happened to you recently?

PRAY TOGETHER

There’s a book in your Bible that tells an incredible story about a man who loved God very much. His name was Job. Job was a good man who served God, and took care of his family and helped those around him who were in need. When we love God and others, and when we serve others and take care of them, the Bible calls that righteousness. Job was a righteous man. And Job was living a good life. He was healthy. He was rich. He had a beautiful family. And he worshiped God.

But one day Satan showed up in Heaven to accuse Job before God. Do you know who Satan is? Satan is one of God’s angels who was jealous of God and thought he should be equal to God. Eventually, Satan rebelled against God and became purely evil. Satan hates God, and he hates you, and he hates everything good. And now Satan just wants to make the people who love God look bad. He is the great accuser, a giant tattle-tale, who tricks us into sinning and then tries to convince God that we are just as evil as he is.

So imagine God in Heaven, and Satan standing in front of him and then imagine God and Satan having this conversation about Mr. Job:

Job 1:8-12. ⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰ Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Can you tell what Satan is saying about Job? Satan says that Job is only good and righteous because God has made his life so easy and nice. But if everything were to be taken away from Job – his money, his family, his health – then he would surely turn against God and “curse” God.

So God tells Satan that he can take everything away from Job. And Satan moves quickly. He takes everything from Job. His health, his animals, his servants, even his children. Job loses it all. But the Bible says that even when he lost everything, Job never sinned against God. He didn’t stop loving and trusting God. He didn’t curse God, instead he blessed God. Listen to what Job said:

Job 1:20-22. ²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Wow.

No matter what happened to him, Job decided to trust that God was in control of his life, and that everything that happened to him, both the good and the bad, was all for his own good. And that is one of the most important lessons that any of us could ever learn isn’t it?

Jesus, like Job, had to trust God when everything was taken away from him on the cross. He knew that in the end everything would be given back to him and much more. God “took away” and then “gave” to Jesus. What did he give Jesus? You and me! And just like Jesus, when we give up everything for him we get it all back and much more in Heaven.

Because of Jesus no matter what happens we can know it is for our good.

With Jesus we can trust God no matter what.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Ask your kids to list both some good things and some bad things that have happened to them recently. Talk to your kids about how we can praise God for all things, because God uses all things for our good.

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus,

Because you died on the cross for me I know I will live with God forever, and that is the better than anything I might gain or lose in my life.

Amen.

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