James 5:11–Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Today I had the opportunity to attend a funeral for a friend’s father.  All three of his son’s spoke concerning what they remember about him.  A statement one of them made stuck with me, and affirmed my devotional reading I had this morning.  I believe it was the middle child who said, “I’m thankful to God for the 67 years we had our dad”…

What struck me about that statement was the mentality his children had regarding their dad’s life.  In grief they weren’t mad at God, or feeling like they deserved to have a dad who lived to 80, they realized that life is a gift that isn’t deserved.  They rooted their mentality in gratitude, mercy, and the compassion of the Lord for their dad’s life.

A mind renewed to the gospel, understands that their entire life is about being grateful to God for His mercy and compassion (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Even in the moments we complain, we are able to rebuke ourselves and realize that we haven’t earned our way to be blessed before God.

If we are not correcting our thinking and hearts to be grateful to God for His grace, we turn what He has given as a gift, into what we deserve from our works, nullifying grace and the mercy of the Lord.  This is why such a passage about Job is so important for us to understand.  That even in loss, the Lord has been compassionate and merciful for what we did have in this life.

In His Love, LD