Job 38:3 “’Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!’”

CAUGHT

Have you ever been caught red handed? There is no getting out of it. There is nothing you can say. You know you have no explanation, so you just wait for the hammer to fall.

I bet Job and his friends felt that way when God began to speak. I love this verse. God is challenging Job, if he is so smart and has all the answers, to educate Him. I am assuming, since God spoke to the friends later, that they could also hear this conversation between God and Job. I don’t know for sure, but I believe they were listening in. If so, they, like Job, were probably sitting there like little schoolboys with their heads down.

I remember so well getting caught by my Mom or Dad. Now, I was close to perfect as a child (lol), but when I did get caught, I knew my parents were going to take me to the woodshed. They believed in discipline, and I am glad they did. I don’t remember a lot of conversation either. Isn’t it funny how we forget those things they said to us – until we have children of our own and then our parents’ words come flying out of our mouths?

TEACHING MOMENT

As a parent, you need to let God’s words come flying out of your mouth. Your children need to know that their actions always have a reaction. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is “not so good.” But each and every time we intervene in their behaviors we need to let the Father above direct our reactions and the words we use.

You know the rest of the story of Job, right? What does God do in the end? He restores Job. Why? Because Job finally does confess his own self-righteousness. And his friends? Well, they learned a lesson too about judging others.

Let God teach you today so you can teach your children.