Aaron Hufty

All In

Re:Verse passage – Acts 2:42-47 (day two)

And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common…vs. 44

What are you looking for in a fellowship of believers? At what point does the life of the church start to interrupt your personal calendar? Are you afraid of being this “all in” when it comes to following Jesus? With this sense of community there is a genuine sense of belonging, but also accountability. You cannot be in this kind of close quarters and hold things back. My fear is that we have made church attendance and/or membership some sort of social demarkation rather than a central focus of our faith journey. God intended us to be in fellowship, and look what happens when we are. The world is changed.

Training Up

Re:Verse passage – 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (day two) and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. vs. 15

Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

I love my Bible. I read it every day. I read it for many reasons, not the least of which is a directive from the Lord to meditate on these words, hide them in my heart, to teach them to my children. The words give insight each time I study them. In our passage this week Paul gives us an remarkable picture of the result of “training up a child.” Paul reminds Timothy that he has trained for this. This thoughtful, intentional grounding given by Timothy’s mother and grandmother begins to bear fruit as he enters the mission field. What are we giving to our children? Are we training them for the work to which we are all called? If we aren’t, who is? If we are indeed striving to be Better Together, doesn’t that begin with a grounding in God’s Word? Let the training begin.

All-Access

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:15-17, Ephesians 5:22-32 (day two) The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Vs. 16b-17

Have you ever felt left out of a group? Even if it was one that you belonged to, you just didn’t feel like you were good enough, strong enough, or successful enough to really fit in. This may trigger some unresolved angst from a Middle School clique, but the reality is that we have all felt “on the outside” at some point in our lives.

The Apostle Paul understands what this feels like, and wants to make sure we don’t bring that kind of ‘in or out’ mindset to our faith. Paul fought for the inclusion of Gentiles into full fellowship not scraps and bits. Trusting and following Jesus gives us an all-access pass into his fellowship. Are you living like that?

Let’s Shine

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (day two)

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. vs. 26

Learning the value of something is a good skill to have. We should be able to discern a good deal when making a purchase. We should know how to tell when something is beyond its expiration date, both literally and figuratively. These are good life skills. As they apply to the body of Christ things aren’t as cut and dried. Whereas we all need to know how we have been gifted and called. We should seek to find where will best fit the fellowship. What we cannot do is determine that someone doesn’t fit, doesn’t matter, doesn’t belong. We just don’t get that privilege. We can all grow in our walk if we will begin celebrating the myriad ways God has created the body of believers to work together. Whether that person is the senior pastor, the Sunday School teacher, or the individual greeting visitors in the parking lot each week; everyone matters. When we shine in how we are created, the body shines. Let us look for ways in this next thirteen weeks and beyond to shine.

Pray First

Re:Verse passage – Job 42:5-17 (day two)

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. vs. 10

Notice when restoration happened for Job? It was after he prayed for his friends. Scripture does not indicate this as a condition for restoration, but there is likely a connection. The Lord was direct in his dealing with those men, and as Job stood on the side of righteousness he did so as a helpful conduit. He did not use that righteousness as an opportunity to gloat, he simply helped. For chapters and chapters they offered “advice”, and yet when it came to down to it Job’s act of intercessory prayer made all the difference. Tempted to help a friend in need? How much time have you spent in prayer for them?

Big God

Re:Verse passage – Job 40:6-9, 15-19; 41:1-7, 10-11; 42:1-6 (day two) I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 42:2

This response says a great deal about Job’s character after the withering litany of questions that the Lord asked him. Job continues the narrative of the bigness of God with the recognition of his sovereign nature. As we walk through trials we may be surprised at the journey, but God never is. We may be frustrated at outcomes that are contrary to our hopes, but God never is. We may be tempted to question God’s purpose, and even wonder about his nearness, but the Lord is never far and will not be moved from his cosmic design for us. Job is humbled, to be sure, but he comes out of this more confident than ever that God is real, big, and to be trusted. Can you say the same?

Complete

Re:Verse passage – Job 38:1-7; 40:6-9 (day two)

When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 38:7

Figurative language or literal account of creation? Wherever you land on this question the image created by God when speaking of the earth’s origin are wonderfully descriptive. The first few verses of chapter 38 use terms like laying foundations, marking dimensions, and measuring. There is a real sense of the Lord rolling up his sleeves and working hard at creation. The verse seven provides for creation’s soundtrack. Stars singing and the heavenly host cheering on the process. This account has fascinated me for years. Mostly because it includes music as an essential element of God’s nature. But there is a beauty in the completeness of this picture. The images of a God who plans, values hard work, and loves art gives a holistic idea of how God operates. There is inherent worth in every aspect of creation, and in our own call. What followed this account and line of questioning was a very humbled Job. When we experience the Lord in his fullness we cannot help but be awed, and may it ever help us to recognize our journey in light of the greatness of God.

Close

Re:Verse passage – Job 32:1-10; 33:2-4, 22-30; 35:9-10; 37:14-24
(day two). The Almighty—we cannot find Him;
He is exalted in power
And He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness. 37:23

Wait for me a little, and I will show you
That there is yet more to be said in God’s behalf. 36:1

Of all the advice given by Job’s friends, I have always considered Elihu to be closest to the mark. Close, but not quite on target. I appreciate that he gives deference to age and wisdom. He waits his turn and listens. I also appreciate that he doesn’t let his youth ultimately keep him from speaking. When he asks Job about the characteristics of God in creation it comes very near to how God ultimately responds.

There are, however, some flaws in Elihu’s logic. He continues to contend that Job is deserving of his suffering. It stands to reason that, following Elihu’s logic, God will not do violence to justice, so Job must be unjust. It must be nice to live in such a binary sort of world, but it doesn’t take too many days on the earth to realize that isn’t how suffering works. Secondly, he says that God is not accessible. Again, according to Elihu, God is exalted and once he set the world in motion he stepped away. Third, God needs an interpreter.

Friends, this isn’t how we approach the Almighty. Our suffering is not unknown to the Lord. He hears our pleas for mercy, and God, his Word, and the Holy Spirit are sufficient. Stop looking for the “fix” and continue to search for Jesus in the storm.

Confidence

Re:Verse passage – Job 19:20-27 (day two)

“Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
²⁷Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.
My heart faints within me!

This is a statement of absolute confidence without any petition on his own behalf. The duality of these words are incredible; he is sure of two things: his body will be wrecked and destroyed, and he will see God. Where does this faith come from? Remember Job is a man from the East. He is not living in a strong faith community, and he is most likely not of the nation of Israel. Yet he has discerned the incredible reality of a living God whose ways were great and indisputable. How does that inform your faith journey? We have the Word, we have the example of Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our journey. Even with those evidences and assurances we sometimes struggle to bear up under the burden of circumstance. May we gain a measure of strength from the example of Job today. May we say with the same confidence that surely our redeemer lives, and we will see him face to face.

The Pit

Re:Verse passage – Job 19:13-19 (day two)

My relatives have failed,
And my intimate friends have forgotten me. vs. 14

The depths of grief that gripped Job’s heart was almost unendurable. This seeming pit is double-edged in that no one around you can walk your exact journey, and no one, then, is able to truly empathize. This is a hopeless place. If walking with Jesus on his journey to the cross last week has given us any insight into our savior, however, is that he understands the weight of sorry. Truly. It doesn’t help to simply say “Jesus understands”, but it may provide the beginning of a way out of the pit to run to the scriptures and observe the cosmic weight of Christ’s sorrow.

He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Isaiah 53:3