Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
 Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong (Job 1:20-22, NKJV).

Lately God has been calling me back to the basics, reminding me to keep that fire with my first love not only kindled but blazing. It’s amazing how quickly and easily we are distracted, isn’t it? It doesn’t take but a shiny thing or two, and we’re off and running—not so much back to the world but after “ministry” rather than the One who graciously uses us in ministry.

Personally, I’m sick of it. And I have no one to blame but myself. I’m so busy most of the time that I have to pencil in “breathing” on my calendar. Ridiculous!

I was reading through Job this morning, and the verses above jumped out at me. When Job’s comfortable world was caving in on him, he did two things: he donned the apparel and appearance of mourning, and then fell on his face and worshiped. He didn’t deny the tough things he was experiencing, but he didn’t let them distract him from the most important thing: worshiping God, regardless of circumstances. That tells me he was a man who regularly worshiped God when things were going well—which, of course, is when we establish the habit and practice of worship. Right now, apart from a few minor blips on the radar screen, things are going well in my life. However, I’ve lived long enough to know that circumstances can change in a moment. If/when they do, will I follow Job’s example of acknowledging the problem, even as I fall on my face and worship?

If I haven’t already established the habit and practice of worshiping God while things are going well, I may very well not do so when my own personal world caves in. Instead, I could find myself whining at God and blaming Him for my woes. When Job was devastated with loss, he acknowledged that everything he had was due to God’s blessing and that He had every right to take it away. Regardless, he would worship.

That’s what I want in my life, and it’s not going to happen if I’m chasing “spiritual bling.” It’s one thing to say, “It’s all about Him”; it’s another to live that way. I am personally committing to seek God daily—moment by moment—to pursue the latter. Will you join me?