You Can’t Take Your Stuff with You

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Scripture: Job 1:21 (ESV)

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.”

Devotion:

This verse comes from the story of Job, a man who experienced immense suffering yet remained faithful to God. Despite losing his children, wealth, and health, Job responded by worshiping and acknowledging God's sovereignty.

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart." Here, Job acknowledges the transient nature of earthly possessions. We come into this world with nothing, not even the clothes on our backs, and we will leave with nothing. Everything we have, whether it's our homes, our cars, our jobs, or our relationships, is a gift from God, given to us for a time.

"The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away." Job recognizes that everything he had was ultimately God's. If God chooses to give, it is His right. If God chooses to take away, it is also His right. This is a profound recognition of God's sovereignty over all things.

"May the name of the LORD be praised." Even amid his suffering, Job makes a conscious choice to praise God. He doesn't curse God or turn away from Him. Instead, he worships, acknowledging God's goodness and sovereignty. This choice of Job inspires us to trust in God's goodness, even in our own trials.

So today, let's reflect on Job's response to suffering. Let's remember that our earthly possessions are temporary, that God is sovereign, and that He is worthy of praise in all circumstances. No matter what we're going through, may we, like Job, choose to say, "May the name of the LORD be praised." This is the essence of Job's story, and it's a lesson we can all learn from.

Remember, no matter what you're going through, God is sovereign. He gives and takes away, but His name is to be praised. So, let's praise Him, trust Him, and rest in His amazing grace. Even when we can't see the purpose or the plan, we can trust that God is in control and that He is working all things for our good.

Prayer:

Lord, we sometimes forget this simple lesson from Job. We, being human, tend to get wrapped up in our possessions. We here in the United States tend to have more things than we need. We appear to be blind to the fact that all we can take with us at the end of our lives is our relationship with Jesus. Everything else amounts to nothing in God’s sight. Lord, let us be a people who live for you—loving you with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.

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