God is All (Monday, Week 26, Year 2)

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Just like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the rest, the Book of Job is another book of the Bible that falls under the category of Poetry and Wisdom. Ecclesiastes tells us that material things or possessions are vanities: they are like grasses that blossom in the morning and withers away in the evening. The Book of Job narrates the story of a man whose material possessions vanished overnight. From that concrete life experience, it became clear to him that “all is vanity”. In humility, he exclaimed, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”. In these few words, Job accepted that material possessions are nothing; they are not his; even his own life; but God is all, and everything belongs to Him; He gave, He has taken away – Blessed be His Name! 

It takes humility to adopt such an attitude and make such a faith declaration. It is only a humble person that can sincerely admit that “God is all, and every good thing is His”. Such an attitude will help us to adjust in our life journey, learn to rely on God completely and learn not to give up on life and God when calamities strike. To teach them a lesson on humility and greatness, Jesus brought a child and told the disciples. “Whoever receives this child receives me, receives me and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me; for he who is least among you all is the greatest”. Why did He use the example of a child to teach about greatness and humility? A child has a total trust in his/her parents or guardian. To a child, a parent is everything. Even if he or she loses his or her toy; he or she will believe very strongly that the parent will replace it. Do they even care about titles or possessions? No! A parent is everything; and must be depended upon. That is an attitude of total trust and humility. 

A great person is a person with a childlike spirit. Such a person lives his or her life with a complete trust in God, believing that “God is all, he is nothing”. Even when storms of life strike, such a person cannot be shaken because he is totally dependent on and well rooted in God the rock.



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