JOB 17

Job 17. This was a short chapter and rather depressing I thought. In my footnotes for verses 13-14 it says that Job again expresses his longing for death. Wow. He wanted to die. I can't imagine feeling that way. Being so upset and troubled that you actually wanted to die.

That is basically what I got out of these verses I guess.


Well, anyway. This week is Homecoming week. Today was celebrity/bling day. I dressed up as Abby from NCIS. It was pretty fun being goth for a day ;P. Tomorrow is twin day, and I'm twins with Glor so that should be fun :).

Austa manana chicos y chicas!

Mallory Bjork

Empty Me of Me

Devos
For tonight's devos I read Job 16. I was reading the footnotes of my Bible and for verses 9-14 it says that Job wrongly accuses God of mauling him as he would a beast, turning him over to wicked men, using him as he would an archer for target practice, and attacking him as he would a warrior. Wow. That is pretty deep stuff. In verses 6-17 Job is just describing his desperate situation. I wonder how long job was in this situation. It probably says somewhere in the Bible, but I don't know where. I can't even imagine being in his place.


Empty Me-Chris Sligh

This is a great song. It isn't new or anything, but I heard it in the car the other day and it just has been on my mind lately. I want this song to my heart's prayer to God. It is soooo good. The lyrics are just awesome.

So here is the song. Listen to it and think about the words. Is this your heart's prayer?


Empty Me-Chris Sligh



Well that song pretty much sums it up for tonight.


Empty me of me, so I can be filled with you Lord.

Amen


Mallory

Job 15: Eliphaz' Second Speech

I was going to post this last night, but my internet wouldn't cooperate.

So I read Job 15 yesterday. Job finally ended his extremely long speech and Eliphaz is talking now.

These are the verses that stood out to me the most to me.

Job 15: 1-6

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

"Would a wise man answer with empty notions

or fill his belly with the hot east wind?

Would he argue with useless words,

with speeches that have no value?

But you even undermine piety

and hinder devotion to God.

Your sin prompts your mouth;

you adopt the tongue of the crafty.

Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;

your own lips testify against you.

Words. They can be so helpful, but can hurt so much. You know the saying sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me? Well, that is full of balogna. These few verses kind of reminded me of gossip. Especially when Eliphaz says "your own mouth condemns you" and "you adopt the tongue of the crafty". That is what happens when we gossip. Have you ever been talking about someone, and they just happen to be standing right behind you? Well, that has happened to me before numerous times. I know that it was a sign from God telling me to watch what I say.

Now, I don't know exactly what Eliphaz meant when he said these words, but they reminded me of gossiping, and that got me going.

Here are some verses about gossiping:

Proverbs 11:13
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 16:28
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 18:8
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

Well, I got to go.

See ya!

Mallory

Job 14

Job 14 is what I read for devos tonight. It really wasn't that exciting. Job is STILL talking to Zophar, at least I'm pretty sure. And he is still making his extremely long speech. But, there were some verses I found interesting.

Job 14:7-14

⁷ "At least there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.

⁸ Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,

⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.

¹⁰ But man dies and is laid low;
he breathes his last and is no more.

¹¹ As water disappears from the sea
or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,

¹² so man lies down and does not rise;
till the heavens are no more, men will not awake
or be roused from their sleep.

¹³ "If only you would hide me in the grave ^a]">[a]
and conceal me till your anger has passed!
If only you would set me a time
and then remember me!

¹⁴ If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service
I will wait for my renewal ^b]">[b] to come.

Job is comparing the life of a tree to us. He talks about how the tree will live again, and questions whether men will live again. He then says that he will "wait for my renewal to come". Job thinks that the fate of a tree is better than the fate of a man, because the tree can sprout again.

Do you agree with Job? ;)

Mallory

Job 13: Job's Reply to Zophar Continued

I read Job 13 tonight. It is basically Job 12 continued. Job is still talking to Zophar. He is making a long speech, which I think is pretty interesting. It seems like the type of speech someone would memorize for speech class.

Job 13

¹ "My eyes have seen all this,
my ears have heard and understood it.

² What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

³ But I desire to speak to the Almighty
and to argue my case with God.

⁴ You, however, smear me with lies;
you are worthless physicians, all of you!

⁵ If only you would be altogether silent!
For you, that would be wisdom.

⁶ Hear now my argument;
listen to the plea of my lips.

⁷ Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?

⁸ Will you show him partiality?
Will you argue the case for God?

⁹ Would it turn out well if he examined you?
Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

¹⁰ He would surely rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.

¹¹ Would not his splendor terrify you?
Would not the dread of him fall on you?

¹² Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.

¹³ "Keep silent and let me speak;
then let come to me what may.

¹⁴ Why do I put myself in jeopardy
and take my life in my hands?

¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely ^a]">[a] defend my ways to his face.

¹⁶ Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,
for no godless man would dare come before him!

¹⁷ Listen carefully to my words;
let your ears take in what I say.

¹⁸ Now that I have prepared my case,
I know I will be vindicated.

¹⁹ Can anyone bring charges against me?
If so, I will be silent and die.

²⁰ "Only grant me these two things, O God,
and then I will not hide from you:

²¹ Withdraw your hand far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.

²² Then summon me and I will answer,
or let me speak, and you reply.

²³ How many wrongs and sins have I committed?
Show me my offense and my sin.

²⁴ Why do you hide your face
and consider me your enemy?

²⁵ Will you torment a windblown leaf?
Will you chase after dry chaff?

²⁶ For you write down bitter things against me
and make me inherit the sins of my youth.

²⁷ You fasten my feet in shackles;
you keep close watch on all my paths
by putting marks on the soles of my feet.

²⁸ "So man wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment eaten by moths.

The verses that stood out to me I put in bold font. I thought verse 7-9 were neat.

⁷ Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?

⁸ Will you show him partiality?
Will you argue the case for God?

⁹ Would it turn out well if he examined you?
Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

Well, that is all I have time for tonight. Ponder those verses....... good food for the soul :)

Buenos Noches!! (Good night)

Mallory

JOB 12: Job's Reply to Zophar

Tonight I'm reading from Job 12. It is an interesting chapter. Job's friends are judging him. I'm using the book The Bare Bones Bible Handbook for Teens along with my Bible. My book says Job chapter's 4-37 is called The Debates. Basically so far Job and his friends are debating. They think that confession is the only cure for Job's suffering. Job had three friends mentioned in the Bible. They all thought that Job's suffering was a result of sin. However, Elihu declared that suffering is often the means of purifying the righteous. God wanted to remove all of Job's self righteousness and bring him to place complete trust in Him.

Job 12

¹ Then Job replied:

² "Doubtless you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!

³ But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?

⁴ "I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called upon God and he answered—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!

⁵ Men at ease have contempt for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

⁶ The tents of marauders are undisturbed,
and those who provoke God are secure—
those who carry their god in their hands. ^a]">[a]

⁷ "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.

⁹ Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

¹¹ Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?

¹² Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?

¹³ "To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.

¹⁴ What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man he imprisons cannot be released.

¹⁵ If he holds back the waters, there is drought;
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

¹⁶ To him belong strength and victory;
both deceived and deceiver are his.

¹⁷ He leads counselors away stripped
and makes fools of judges.

¹⁸ He takes off the shackles put on by kings
and ties a loincloth ^b]">[b] around their waist.

¹⁹ He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows men long established.

²⁰ He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.

²¹ He pours contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.

²² He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into the light.

²³ He makes nations great, and destroys them;
he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

²⁴ He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;
he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

²⁵ They grope in darkness with no light;
he makes them stagger like drunkards.

I think that verses 7-12 are kind of funny. Job is telling his friend that animals are smarter than he is, since they know that calamities can come from the hand of the Lord (this is from the footnotes in my Bible).

Well I really should be getting to bed, especially since I was sick today.

Nite all!!

Enjoy Job ;P

Mallory

Paintball Outreach

I haven't posted anything for a long time I just realized. Well, a lot has been going on lately. With volleyball, cross country, band, school, etc. But, it is a fun kind of busy I think.

Tomorrow our youth group is having a Paintball outreach. I'm really excited! I've invited a lot of my friends, but a lot of them are busy :(. I managed to find a few who are going to be able to make it though :). We are going to have paintball, games, food, fellowship... It should be great. So if you are reading this, you could just pray that a lot of people come and that our youth group will shine for Jesus, and that everyone will feel welcome.

So that is basically my thoughts right now. Now I get to go to a family birthday party. WOO HOO!! ;P

Mallory