the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,.." (Gal.5:22)
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SPIRITUAL LIFE - Bible Counsel: Section D
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"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies they shall fail; whether there be tongues they shall cease; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away"...."And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (I Cor.13: 4-8, 13).
When we speak of "spiritual life" we are referring to that life of God-awareness, as contrasted with physical and carnal-awareness. It concerns worship; devotion; growth and maturity; trials; peace and joy; communion; holiness; charity; the Lord's glory, and praise, etc. If one is alive unto God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that one may be full of faith and devotion to Christ, moderately faithful, or shallow in faith. It is all about faith and maturity for a child of God, and we hope faithful readers will learn to live closer to the Lord and enjoy communion with Him.
The perspective for the man, Job, in the Word of God, was his trial and struggle therein to understand it, maintain his trust in God, and endure the infirmity. The latter part was made bearable by the searching dialogue with the friends, which kept him from total despair. That was a mercy, in spite of their harsh criticism.
A reader needs to appreciate that Job, as a Gentile in the land of Edom, and contemporary of the time Moses was called, had only a conviction about God which likely came mostly from stories handed down through the years. Job likely had heard of the God of Abraham, and knew about Noah, the flood, and the garden at Eden, which many ancient people also spoke about. The result was faith and trust in the Creator--God, and a desire to be godly and obedient.
This man was a vessel chosen, no doubt, to set forth a valuable truth for all time. One might easily suppose God chose him and gave him a quickening toward God, to show forth in him the grand plan of grace for mankind---at the same time He was giving the law to Moses for a people who rejected grace.
Job was clearly confused, but was preserved; and after his reasoning, much contemplation, and exhaustion, God revealed Himself, as He must always do for man who is totally ruined by sin and without God in the world. Then Job was ready to quit his confidence in self, "abhor" himself, and yield to his Creator who loved him.
That is the story of the grace of God today, who works to bring man to the end of himself; to stop reasoning, exalting self, and learn to appreciate grace; and "be still and know" God (Psa.46:10) through His "beloved Son" (Mk.9: 5-8) who showed Him to man.
