Job 38:2

    “Some want to live within the sound of Church or chapel bells; I   want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” - - C.T Studd

Job 38:2

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”

Our passage this month comes from the end of the account of Job when God addresses Job directly regarding the many assumptions and conclusions Job and his friends had made through his suffering. Job was a man of righteous character and can be assumed even as a non-Israelite that he had great wisdom regarding the character and worship of God. This was represented in the early chapters of this book as Job played a role in sacrificing on behalf of his children and leading his family in worship. And yet, God addresses him directly through the notion of “darkened counsel” by words without knowledge.

Scripture does not shy away from drawing attention to the gravity and importance of one’s speech and his restraint or lack of with his tongue. We live in a culture that is driven by narratives and misinformation often without context and with the motivation of furthering division and invoking emotion. How often are edited or clipped videos shared within “social media” platforms and then followed by the onslaught of comments by the experts in their recliners. How many cities rioted and burned over this last decade from projected narratives of lies without context that have now since been documented and corrected? We are all guilty of these emotional judgements from these clickbait narratives and if we are honest, how many of us continue the spread of these cancers by giving opinion or commenting on that which we know not.

As Christians we are called to be sober-minded and slow to speak. I think this is applicable now more then ever. We are day in and day out bombarded with sensual and emotional draws on our psyche and our culture has now normalized the practice of jumping to conclusion and judgements for the sake of conversation. But what fruit has this born?

As First Responders in our day-to-day duties we are expected to draw judgements for the sake of impactful decisions, whether in the realm of law enforcement or the sensitivity of medical applications and care. I believe this legitimate aspect of our careers opens us up to a habitual habit of throwing out our opinions out of the fear of not being respected or as it has been coined, “imposter syndrome.” This is also a phenomenon seen for those of us within the veteran community and especially combat veterans.

We in our Type-A personalities often judge ourselves in our insecurities of “there is always someone who has had it worse,” and through that, we feel the need to self-project onto everyone else our trauma as somehow a level of value to the conversation. This can also manifest through empty conversation with a carnal focus when as Christians we are called to meditate on that which is eternal.

In the twelfth chapter of Matthew’s gospel Jesus states, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” We know from the testament in scripture that Christ is not pointing out a religion of works, but that the fruit of your mouth is a reflection of the inner man. He warns his followers that everything will be called to account on that glorious day, including every word we speak.

If we truly mediate on the eternal reality of this passage, we understand the importance of our words. The speech that comes out of our mouth is either furthering the kingdom of Christ or is working against it. Is our speech a reflection of us as temples for the Holy Spirit or do we mourn Him as we appease our flesh and engage in the empty talk of our worldly environments? As discussed in previous devotions, our marching orders from our King is in this world, not out of it. And in His perfect wisdom and providence, He draws his lost sheep in and turns their hearts of stone to that of flesh through the preaching and hearing of His word (Romans 10:17).

May we as Christian First Responders embrace the reality of Quiet Professionalism. This does not mean we refrain from righteous rebuke or the correction of a brother out of love. What it does mean is that we live and operate through the reality that our Savior hears and sees all. Through this reality we submit our speech and actions to His providence. May the counsel we give be that of light and not darkness.

Proverbs 13:3

“Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

James 1:26

“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

“Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God’s majesty.” – John Calvin

James Doyle 6L5 ~July 2024~