One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Job. Although it’s sad to see the pain inflicted upon him by Satan, his unchanging faith in God is truly a sight to behold, and something each and every one of us should strive for.

Job 1:1-5 starts by giving us some background on Job and his family: It tells us that he was blameless and upright; “he feared God and shunned evil”. Because of his stout devotion God had blessed him with many sons and daughters, and with riches greater than any of the people in the East. He was a truly blessed and happy man.

Job’s First Test:
Continuing, in Job 1:6-12 it says: Then one day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch our your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan then took all of Job’s possessions from him, killed his sons and his daughters, and left only four servants to tell Job of his misfortune. Upon learning this, Job didn’t curse God or blame Him, but fell down in worship and said:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.
– Job 1:21

How many of us can say that we would fall down and worship God when trouble comes our way? Even if everything we had was taken away from us?

Job’s Second Test:
The Bible goes on to tell us: On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”
Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

Satan then inflicted terrible sores over every inch of Job’s body. He continued torturing him and causing him great pain for some time, yet Job’s trust in God would not be shaken. The story ends with God healing Job, giving him back all his wealth and then some, and blessing him with many more sons and daughters.

It’s easy being a Christian when everything is going well for us, but it is the terrible and unfortunate times that truly test our faith in the Lord. I pray that we all have faith like Job did; a faith so strong that even if all our loved ones and wordly treasures are stripped from our hands, we will not lose our trust in Him.

I was reading through Exodus today and came across the section where God presents Moses with the Ten Commandments. I’ve read this passage many times, but something interesting caught my eye. The NIV Bible I was using (Which I use the most) showed the Sixth Commandment as “You shall not murder”. This confused me, because since I was very little my family has had two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments enscribed on them; and I specifically remember the Sixth Commandment being written as “Thou shalt not kill”.

I decided to try another version, and opened up my King James Bible to Exodus 20:1-17. It showed the Sixth Commandment written as “Thou shalt not kill”. It surprised me that the KJV & NIV Bibles would have such a glaring contradication. The words ‘kill’ and ‘murder’, although sharing a common action that results in death, have VERY different meanings.

I believe that the NIV Bible has the most accurate translation for this verse. I could technically ‘kill’ someone if I accidentally crashed into another car while driving. Would this mean that I broke that Commandment? Since I had no intention of harming anyone, I don’t think so. On the other hand, if I were to intentionally ‘murder’ someone by stabbing them with a knife, I would have broken the Sixth Commandment severely.

Please share your thoughts!

I was having a discussion recently about whether or not we would know when the return of Jesus would be. The Bible doesn’t give us an exact date, time, and place, but it does give us some clues. Take a look at this passage from 2 Timothy, Chapter 3:

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, un-forgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -”

If you think about it, that pretty much describes how the world is today. Everytime I pick up the newspaper I see articles on death, destruction, hatred, and other evils. Turn on your TV and go to any news channel – It’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll see the reporters discussing a murder, rape, or some similiar attrocity. Children aren’t allowed to discuss the Bible in school, Judges can’t bring the Ten Commandments into their courtroom, and Soldiers can’t even bow their heads in prayer without being criticized!

The “disobedient to their parents” part especially caught my attention. Just look around you and you’ll see for yourself how true that part of the prophesy is.

It’s so sad to see how far the world has grown apart from God; how wicked and immoral our society has become. But do not be afraid or discouraged, for in Revelation’s 22:12-16, Jesus tells us:

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the three of life and may go through the gates into the city.”

Jesus is coming to bring us home with Him!

Don’t you LOVE music? I certainly do Joy, sorrow, hope, and so many other special messages can be expressed in one single song. Music also happens to be a very controversial topic in today’s churches. Let’s start out with this verse from Ephesians:

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:19

I think that all Christians can agree on a “common ground” that we should sing songs of praise to our Lord (Personally, that was my favorite part of Sunday at my old church). The big disagreement is regarding whether contemporary music (Christian Rock, Rap, Metal etc) is acceptable.

Some believe that only hymns are an acceptable form of worship music because they are ‘perfect’, while rock and roll is an ‘abomination’ and anyone who listens to it must be evil. The only difference between a Hymn and a Christian Rock song is the beat. The words of both songs praise the Lord; both artists are Christians, and both wrote the song to honor God. So, why is the rock song being placed in the ‘evil’ category, while the Hymn is being sung every Sunday?

Although many will not admit it, this isn’t a religious issue. This is a personal issue. The Christian’s that believe Christian Rock is evil are generalizing that Rock and Roll are the source behind the sinfulness of this generation. Sex, Drugs, Immorality… “That must all be caused by the Christian Rock music teenagers listen to.” Sorry, but I don’t think so. Those problems are caused by many things, but Christian Rock music PRAISING God is not one of them.

One of the most common arguments against Rock and Rap music is the beat. Take this into consideration… In the song Handel’s Messiah, Violins are being played 16 times per second. The best rapper in the world has yet to go over 11 words per second. By this logic Violins should be banned from churches too.

Others believe that violence is the reason Rock shouldn’t be played in Church. They reason that it will encourage children to become ‘killers’ and commit sinful deeds. I defy anyone to find ONE Christian Rock song that promotes violence and murder. The people making this argument are generalizing that because some Rock and Roll has violence in it, that Christian Rock must have it too. This simply isn’t true, and is very poor logic on their part.

The “It’s not the hymns” argument that you will undoubtedly encounter when debating this subject simply proves my point in paragraph 5. This is a personal issue, not a religious one. Do you think God is really going to reject a rock singer’s worship and praise simply because they have a more ‘lively’ beat than a Hymn? Or because a few people in the congregation are biased towards rock-style music? I don’t think so.

I believe that God looks for what is in our heart when we worship; not what chords we play or how fast we play them.

I was going to talk about Christian Music for this post, but as I was reading through my SAT study guide this afternoon, I came across this essay question (paraphrased): “Can ordinary people make a difference in the course of history?”

It started me thinking of the Christian perspective of that question. We don’t need to be missionaries to make a difference for God. We can do it in our everyday lives by setting an example, assisting a friend in a time of need, or helping someone come to know Jesus as their Savior.

Being a Christian is so much more than just going to church. It’s about acting in a way that would please God 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Please take the time to read through these two passages from Ephesians:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” — Ephesians 5:8-11

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the Devil’s schemes” — Ephesians 6:11

Doesn’t it make you feel special that God would choose us to be His soldiers? To choose us to share the light and glory of God with everyone we come in contact with! Our God is truly an awesome God.

The World has come very far in the past hundred years. We have made advancements in technology, medicine, everyday comfort, and yet… with all that we have accomplished, has it been worth the price? With each passing day we rely more and more on our “Human Inventions”, our “Modern Conveniences”, and our “Everyday Luxuries”. So does this affect our relationship with God? Unfortunately, however much we’d like to deny it, it does (And not in a good way).

This modern era is full of worry, stress, and rush. Right now I’m juggling two jobs, SATs, College Applications, my personal life, and a million other things. When I feel overwhelmed or stressed out, this verse helps me remember that everything is part of Gods plan, and that He will take care of me:”Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” — Matthew 6:27

A friend once pointed out to me that it is entirely our own fault that life is so complicated. We make it so. Think about it… all of things that make our lives so busy are centered around US! If we focused more on HIM life would be far simpler, and better for all.

Praying helps a LOT. Take the time to let your life slow down, appreciate what God has given you, and just talk to Him. Like a loyal friend, He will always be there to listen, and unlike modern gadgets that will break or shut down, He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!

Welcome to ChristianPlace Hub!

Seems like all the other authors beat me to the introductions, but better late than never, eh? My name is Noah, and I live in a small village in the NH White Mountains. I enjoy Sports, Programming, and serving my God. I’ll be discussing the Bible, Devotionals, and current Christian-related events along with my Friends Billy & Victoria.

Please feel free to make comments and join in the discussions. We’d all like to hear your thoughts and views!