“Return To The Lord And You Will Be Restored!”

“Return To The Almighty And You Will Be Restored!”
Pain and suffering, misfortunes and calamities are not necessarily the consequences of sin. However, religions sometimes insist on their relatedness. When Job suffered hard times his friends who came to console him insisted that he was paying for his sins. On his part Job maintained his innocence before man and God.
Scripture says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And if that is so, then Job’s claim to self-righteousness is lame.
The words of Eliphaz to Job addresses us afresh. The only problem is that Eliphaz like the other Job’s friends built his argument on the false premise that the calamities which befell Job were the consequences of his sins.
Again, while we agree with him that we should “Submit to God and be at peace with him;” it should not be because, “in this way prosperity will come to you.”
We are put right with God so as to have an eternal home and whatever comes to us as earthly prosperity should be an aside. This is a false claim highly propagated by “prosperity gospel peddlers!”
Prosperity aside, it is a timely reminder to you and I that: ” Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; if you remove wickedness far from your tent…then the Almighty will be your gold…you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him and he will hear you and you will fulfil your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways…”(Job 22:12-20).
My friend, the call to return to the Almighty is a major biblical theme which we ignore at our own peril. No matter how much we are in the Lord, we often drift away (un)intentionally. Therefore, “return to the Almighty to be restored!”
Prayer: Father Almighty, thank you for restoring me through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!