“‘For he (God) gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.’” (Matthew 5:45b)

What standard of measurement do you use to judge whether things are going well in your life? Is it based on how much money is in the bank account or how much stuff is in your house? Are things going well if you got the best deal on Black Friday? Is your happiness based on circumstances? Do you measure whether or not things are going well based on your circumstance? For example, if the house isn’t leaking, the cars are working, the family is healthy, then things must be good. And conversely, if things are breaking in the house, the cars aren’t working, the kids keep getting sick, then things are bad? With so many variables in life, how do you measure whether things are going good or bad in your life? Job had everything a man could ever want, and if the amount of stuff was what Job had used to determine whether or not life was going well, then life was going very well for him.

“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.” (Job 1:1-3)

Things were going well in Job’s life; after all, his circumstances sure seemed to show he was doing everything right. So what would be Job’s reaction if he lost everything? What would be your reaction? Is it just God being mean? Are you being punished? There are endless pitfalls when we judge our lives based on our circumstances. In the span of seven verses Job loses all of his animals, farmhands, shepherds, servants, sons, daughters, and his house. What would your reaction be?

“Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, ‘I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!’” (Job 1:20-21)

Job worshiped the Lord. He recognized that everything he had was because of the Lord so the Lord has the right and Authority to take it away. Job praised the name of the Lord as a reaction to losing everything. Oh that I would have such faithfulness. We can panic over the smallest of inconveniences sometimes, wondering if God is punishing us or if the rain will ever stop, but do we ever think to praise God when bad circumstances come our way? Job found himself surrounded by friends and even his wife who all seemed to measure life by circumstances. They concluded that Job must have done something wrong to deserve the punishment, to deserve all of the negative circumstances. This is what comes when we measure life by our circumstances. His friends told him to confess a sin and repent even though Job knew he hadn’t committed a sin. Job remained faithful, knowing that his life was not measured by circumstances but by his obedience to God.

“When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! (…) So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.” (Job 42:10, 12)

We should measure whether things are going well in our lives not by circumstances but by obedience. Are you obeying God? Are you living life as Jesus did? That should be our standard of measurement. It’s going to rain on the just and the unjust; things are going to break, kids are going to get sick, and people are going to hurt and disappoint us, so we should not use our circumstances as a compass for our lives. Measure your life by your obedience to God not by your circumstances or possessions and when you do this, you will be able to praise God when the rains and storms come knowing that you are living a life of obedience to Him.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.