Job

All posts tagged Job

It’s Not My Job!

Posted by Jim Thornber on March 8, 2011
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Publishing, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

For four years I was an Assemblies of God minister and a monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion Hermitage. This is an excerpt from my book, Taking Off My Comfortable Clothes: Removing Religion to Find Relationship.

A religious community has much in common with any group of people, be they a family or a local church group. Foremost among these commonalities is a myopic view of the terrain, often showing itself under the title of “It’s not my job.”
While I lived at the Little Portion, one of my jobs was to sort the recyclables. We had two receptacles in the kitchen—one for trash and the other for cans. I would try to tend to both as frequently as possible, but sometimes I didn’t get around to it in a timely manner, and it was then I began to formulate my understanding about people’s attitudes regarding things they didn’t own.

I remember watching an individual approach the recycling bin in the kitchen with a can in his hand. Since I had been remiss in dealing with the receptacle, this person found it overflowing. I then watched him as he placed his can high upon the pile, balancing it in such a way that defied gravity, only to walk away satisfied that he did his job. I guess it never occurred to him to pick up the can and carry it fifteen feet out to the recycling area. Oh, that’s right, IT WASN’T HIS JOB!

Let me share with you a nice little motto to live by: Continue Reading

Quit Whining About Work!

Posted by Jim Thornber on December 21, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”—Genesis 2:15.

Like many of you, I’ve been spending a bit of time on Facebook. Since most of the stuff that takes place there is pure fluff and an absolute waste of time, I don’t do much more than post links to my blog, shamelessly promote my book, comment on the pages of a few friends, and quickly see what people are doing.

While perusing the different posts by my Facebook friends, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. True, I may be the only one disturbed, but since I’ve read the Bible, I think I have a right to be concerned. What bothers me is the way my Christian friends, even some pastors, show a disdain for work. Here’s some of the things I’ve read.

“Hurray. Only two more days ‘till the weekend!”

“I’m so glad this is only a three-day work week.”

“Wednesday is almost over! Only two more days…..!”

One girl, referring to her job, simply said, “This is “********.”

Too many Christians seem to think work is a curse, even though Scripture clearly shows us that Adam had work to do while he was in the Garden of Eden. The need to work is not a result of the fall of Adam and Eve—it is a gift from God to His creation, enabling us to be like Him. God worked for six days and then rested, and He gave Adam a job to do while he was still in Paradise. In John 5:17, Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” But it seems from what I am reading, too many people are singing along with Loverboy, “Everybody’s working for the weekend.”

Continue Reading

The God of Jim

Posted by Jim Thornber on July 6, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

“Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” – Hebrews 11:16

This verse makes me wonder if God thinks the same way about me. Is God ever ashamed to be called my God? Would He ever refer to Himself as “The God of Jim?” Would he ever point to me, as he did to Job, and ask Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Jim?” (Part of me really hopes that conversation never takes place. I’m quite allergic to boils). Would God ever address other Christians and say, “I am not ashamed to be known as the God of Jim. He is a faithful man, and to his credit I declare him righteous”?

It gives me joy to know that I do not need to be perfect, faultless and without error or sin in order for God to find no shame in being my God. I need only believe in God and obey His word to one day hear Him pronounce, “I was not ashamed to say ‘I am the God of Jim.’”

Naturally, when I think this way it means I’m confident God knows my name. It means I am not forgotten, not abandoned, not just an adopted child hoping God will love me as much as He loves His natural children.

Still, I’ve also thought the opposite. You know, the old There must be better children out there who are more deserving of God’s love than I am kind of thinking.  Continue Reading

Which Way Is God?

Posted by Jim Thornber on February 26, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I dot not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.” – Job 23:8-9

This passage in Job shows us there are times when, no matter which direction we go, we cannot find God or understand what He is doing. For some reason, there are times when He chooses to be elusive, evasive and evanescent. He answers to no one and refuses to ask permission to be Himself. Search for Him all you want, but if He chooses to hide Himself, there is no way to find Him.

At other times, no matter which way we go to get away from God, He is there (Ps. 139:7-10). Even in my darkest moments, I find God is with me, for darkness is as light to Him (Ps. 139: 12). Or, as Plato is quoted saying, “Light is the shadow of God.” God is everywhere, and there is no way to escape Him.

What challenges me is the fact that I cannot pin God down. If I try to flee from God, He pursues me. If I try to find Him, He remains hidden. Continue Reading

Compelled to Board the Boat

Posted by Jim Thornber on January 5, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion, Writing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side” — Matthew 14:22

This is a passage that many people have trouble with, because it tells us that God sometimes instigates hard times in our lives. It is important for us to be reconciled with this concept; because if we do not, we may find ourselves forever kicking against the goads (Acts 26:14).

Just after Jesus feeds the five thousand, the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John tell us that Jesus “made” the disciples get into the boat and go to the western shore of Galilee. This word “made” may also be translated “compel,” “necessitate” or even “force.”  It is a very strong word that leaves little doubt the disciples did not have a choice in the matter.

What we see in these passages is Jesus compelling the disciples into a boat He knew would take them into a storm, find them “straining at the oars” (Mark 6:48) and ultimately blown off their intended course. The disciples, intending to take a short boat ride across the northern tip of a lake that is merely four miles wide, soon find they were still in the middle of the lake (Mark 6:47) after rowing three or three and a half miles. They were in a storm and going nowhere fast. Fortunately, Jesus rescues them by walking across the lake.

At first, this sounds like a heartless thing for Jesus to do. Why would God send us to a place where He knows we will fight, strain and struggle, only to wind up further from our destination than when we started? Continue Reading

Singing The Same Old Song

Posted by Jim Thornber on September 8, 2009
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

Singing The Same Old Song

“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.” – Psalms 96:1

Old MusicYou know the Holy Spirit is on your case when you’re zipping along, joyfully reading Scriptures, feeling good about yourself and your relationship with God, when suddenly you come across a verse that smacks you in the head so hard your feet ache. This verse did that to me about two minutes ago.

How, you may ask, can such a sweet, uplifting, joyful and inspiring verse bring you such misery and pain? Easy. It’s been a while since I’ve sang a new song, and I sense God telling me its time to change my tune.

I feel like my prayer life is in the rut of seeking the same things over and over and over. I’m getting so tired of praying the same old song (“Lord, guide me to our next ministry. Help my book find a publisher. Lead me to a job that pays well enough that my wife won’t have to work. Give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning other than going to work to sell plumbing parts….”) that I’ve mostly given up on prayer.

You’ll notice, of course, that my prayer life is mostly about me. My ministry. My job. My book. Continue Reading

Scriptures That Bother Me — Job 23:8-9

Posted by Jim Thornber on June 18, 2009
Posted in: Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

Which Way Is God?

“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I dot not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.” – Job 23:8-9

street signsThis passage in Job shows us there are times when, no matter which direction we go, we cannot find God or understand what He is doing. For some reason, there are times when He chooses to be elusive, evasive and evanescent. He answers to no one and refuses to ask permission to be Himself. Search for Him all you want, but if He chooses to hide Himself, there is no way to find Him.

At other times, no matter which way we go to get away from God, He is there (Ps. 139:7-10). Even in my darkest moments, I find God is with me, for darkness is as light to Him (Ps. 139: 12). Or, as Plato is quoted saying, “Light is the shadow of God.” God is everywhere, and there is no way to escape Him.

What challenges me is the fact that I cannot pin God down. Continue Reading

Scriptures That Bother Me — Job 23:10

Posted by Jim Thornber on June 8, 2009
Posted in: Religion, Writing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 22 Comments

Pure As Gold

“But he knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” – Job 23:10

goldThe book of Job bothers most people because it never really addresses the issue of why people suffer. However, Job bothers me because it show us that God is more interested in our faith and the final, gold-like qualities of our life than He is in our comfort and pleasure.

God wants us all to come forth as gold. But why gold? Probably because it is such an interesting metal. 1.02 ounces of gold can be drawn into a wire 62 miles long. It conducts electricity, shields from heat and, because of its ability to reflect infrared light, it is used to control the temperature on satellites. NASA coats the visors of space suits with gold to afford them protection from the rays of the sun.

Continue Reading

Scriptures That Bother Me — Hebrews 11:16

Posted by Jim Thornber on May 26, 2009
Posted in: Religion, Writing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” — Mark Twain

The God Of Jim

“Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” – Hebrews 11:16

This verse makes me wonder if God thinks the same way about me. Is God ever ashamed to be called my God? Would He ever refer to Himself as “The God of Jim?” Would he ever point to me, as he did to Job, and ask Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Jim?” (Part of me really hopes that conversation never takes place. I’m quite allergic to boils). Would God ever address other Christians and say, “I am not ashamed to be known as the God of Jim. He is a faithful man, and to his credit I declare him righteous”? Continue Reading