THE FINISH LINE

 

His Hand Is Stretched Out Still by Yongsung Kim

You warned me there would be mountains to climb

But promised there would be resting spots along the way;

You warned me of the subtle pitfalls

And how deep and wide the waters I would wade.

But you promised me Your hand in mine

Every minute of the day

And that You would meet me at the finish line

When I had conquered all there was to pay.

 

-       Cathryne Allen 

THE MIGHTY JOB 2

 

“It is not the function of religion to answer all questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give courage (through faith) to go on in the face of questions a man never finds the answers to in his present status.” (Elder Harold B. Lee, Church News, as quoted by Keith H. Meservy, “Job: Yet Will I Trust In Him”, pp 139-53)

Job’s life is the prime example of the reality that God allows bad things to happen to good people. A lot of people ask why and finding no understanding, come to reject God and his principle of faith.

I know this place. Since I joined the Church in my youth I naively believed that if I was obedient to the commandments that I will be happy and all will be well in my life. I didn’t take into consideration so many variables: the nature of this fallen world, the purpose of mortality, and the necessity for this testing ground. I remember some years ago I was complaining to God about my trials at hand when I heard a voice say to me: “was it you or I who suffered at Calvary?”

Perhaps the better question would be: If Christ, the only sinless and perfect man had to be subjected to this world of suffering, then why not us? Besides, the excruciating Atonement He went through, He experienced tragedy and sorrow throughout His life: members of His family did not accept Him as the Messiah at first (John 7:5); people in His hometown sought to kill Him (Luke 4:16-30); His countrymen rejected His messianic calling (John 1:11); one friend betrayed Him, another denied knowing Him (Luke 22:48, 54-62); all His disciples forsook Him and fled (Matt 25:56); His enemies demanded His crucifixion (Matt 27:22-23). Is this not a life of difficulty?

It was believed anciently that suffering only comes upon the wicked and that it is God given as punishment. When Jesus healed a man blind from birth, His disciples asked Him: “Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?”  Jesus answered that neither sinned and that the purpose of the man’s blindness was for the ‘works of God to be manifest in him’ (John 9:2,3). So with all of us, there is obviously a purpose for whatever we are afflicted with that is not of our doing.

I rather think that Job had to learn this lesson. His friends accused him of being sinful in some way to have ended up in such extreme suffering. Job defended his integrity (Job 27:6), knowing full well he did not sin but he must have wondered why he was not spared. This made him question if he did really commit some sin so he begged the Lord to reveal it to him so he could repent (Job 13:23). While Job did not understand why God permitted his affliction, he would not judge Him nor lose his faith in Him and could therefore say “let come on me what will” (Job 13:13).

Besides the test of his faithfulness and trust in God, Job’s experience offers us further understanding as to why he, a righteous man, had to suffer. Firstly, all those who desire to come unto Christ have to experience a portion of his suffering to properly know Him. Job proved this to be true.....he only knew OF God prior to his suffering but at the end he came to KNOW God, as he said: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5). To become like Christ and in the end receive of His glory, it is needful for us to become partners with Him, in some small measure, in His sufferings and walk the path He walked. Paul called this 'the fellowship of his sufferings' (Philippians 3:8-10).

Secondly, the fiery darts that we suffer in mortality are designed to fit us for exaltation. God would have us become like Him. For this reason He will allow us to suffer in the refiner's fire that we might in the end become purified with His image in our countenance (Job 23:10; Malachi 3:2,3). This is illustrated well in the following story:  

"Some time ago, a few women met in a certain city to study the scriptures. While reading the 3rd Chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the 3rd Verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". One woman proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them on what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the object of her errand begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver.

“After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?". "Oh yes, Madam", replied the silversmith, "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured". The woman at once saw the beauty, and comfort of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure. Before she left, the woman asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?" "Why, that is quite simple", replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished".

Your watchful eye was over all my trials

So carefully crafted

With love and tender care,

The crucible almost too hard to bear;

Yet did I worship Thee

Praising Thy name forever.

 

You stood as sentinel to my yielding heart

Knowing my trust would stand the test of time;

You crushed the enemy of my soul in the final hour,

Your glory, Your might, Your unfathomable power.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Job by Ilya Repin 1869)

LESSONS OF LIFE

 

Divine Meditation

The lessons of my life flowed like a river

Winding through days, months and years;

I rescued a few but missed so many

From the currents as I saw them passing;

They drowned in a daze of my ignorance,

Unwanted and ignored but yet abiding.

I fish them now from the pool of my memory

And give them life everlasting.

- Cathryne Allen

THE SON

 

Portrait of the Christ by Richard L. George

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire their great works. 

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for the only son. 

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. 

He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." 

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gravel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting?  Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?

Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting."  Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. 

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the works of art. The man who took the son gets everything."

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?"

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son, gets everything.

- Author Unknown

ODE TO JOB

 

You sank so deep

Into the mire o f your pain;

Nobody followed you

Nobody sang praises to your name.

 

In your hour of agony

You gloried in His name

You became my beacon of hope

that I can do the same.

 

Your blessings multiplied

As the stars of heaven do

Each night I see them,

I am reminded of you.

 

-      CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by AI)

THE MIGHTY JOB 1

 

Imagine God called you ‘perfect and upright’. What kind of a life would you have led to earn such accolades?  This is what the Lord called Job and what he did to deserve it (Job 1:1):

-          As supreme magistrate he ‘chose out people’s way’, adjusted their differences, and ‘sat chief’, presiding in all their civil assemblies.

-          As captain general he dwelt ‘as a king in the midst of his troops’, preserving order and discipline, and seeing that his fellow soldiers were provided with requisites for their warfare, and the necessaries of life.

-          As a man he did not think himself superior to the meanest offices in domestic life, to relieve or support his fellow creatures, he went about ‘comforting the mourners’ visiting the sick and afflicted and ministering to their wants and seeing that the ‘wounded’ were properly attended.

-          Old Testament Student Manual Book 2, p 30

In a more detailed scriptural account, this was the life of Job:

He was upright (1:1)

He feared God (1:1)

He avoided evil (1:1)

He instructed many (4:3)

He strengthened weak hands (4:3)

He supported those who were falling (4:4)

He strengthened the feeble knees (4:4)

He walked in the Lord's ways (23:10)

He did not turn away from the commandments (23:11)

He loved the Lord's words more than food (23:12)

He delivered the poor (29:12)

He cared for the orphans (29:12)

He helped those whom no one else would help (29:12)

He gave the widow cause to sing with joy (29:13)

He was eyes to the blind (29:15)

He was feet to the lame (29:15)

He was father to the poor (29:16)

He searched for people in need of his assistance (29:16)

He never found joy in the suffering of his enemies (31:29)

He never wished evil on his enemies (31:30)

He opened his home to strangers (31:32)

He did not try to hide his sins (31:33)

He would not follow a multitude to do evil (31:34)

He refused to be silent because of the disapproval of others (31:34)

So Job was righteous, did good continually, was incredibly respected in the community and he was fabulously wealthy. You could say, his life was perfect. Hence the whole argument that Satan presented. When the Lord held Job up as an example of perfection, Satan challenged with something to this effect: "Of course he is good when you are blessing him left, right and center. It's easy to be good when you have a perfect life, but take all that away and see how much he is going to love you and believe in you."

So Job went from the pinnacle of society to living in rags on the outskirts of the city, in constant pain, not understanding what has happened to him. Basically he went from the picture of perfection to this:

 

"From the symptoms, some have said that it appears that he had elephantiasis. Sore boils, one of the symptoms of this disease, had attacked Job's body, forming large pustules which itched so greatly that a piece of pottery was used to scrape them. Job's face was so disfigured that his friends could not recognise him. Worms or maggots were bred in the sores (7:5). His breath became so foul and his body emitted such an odor, that even his friends abhorred him (19:17ff), and he sought refuge outside the city on the refuse heap where outcasts and lepers lived.

 

“Pain was his constant companion (30:17,30) as were also terrifying nightmares (7:14). Whereas, formerly old, young, princes and nobles alike honored Job, he now felt abused by those whom society itself rejects; who live on the outskirts of town, among the bushes, along the ditchbanks or in caves" (Keith H. Meservy, "Job: 'Yet Will I Trust In Him'", Sixth Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, BYU, January 1978)

 

The lessons we can learn from this man’s experience are extensive. Over the years I have written 9 blogs about his life. This year I am looking at him from the vantage of wisdom that often comes with experience and age…..not that I am anywhere near the calibre of Job but now I understand something about suffering....

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Job - Archimedes by Italian Baroque Artist Luca Giordano)

A GIFT

 

It Is Finished by Mindi Oaten

Thy infinite mercy

Thy limitless goodness

Thy bountiful compassion,

A gift to those who loveth Thee;

Trailing from the cross of Calvary,

Sealed with Your hour of agony.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN