Having an easy life or getting rich has never been the reason the Bible gives to follow God.
Ain't that the truth? Happy New Year! We are officially out of the first half of the decade
of the 2020s and charging into the second half. Hard to believe, isn't it? This is the LifeSpring
One Year Bible Rewind and coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004,
I'm Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster.
This is the podcast that comes to you every day,
and we're reading the entire Bible together in a year.
I'm so glad you're here.
Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your New Year's Day.
The website is lifespringmedia.com, and this is Poetry Thursday.
We'll read Job 21 and 22.
After my comments on Job, there's On This Date in Church History coming up,
as well as a comment from a LifeSpring family member.
And since I was unable to get a new show done yesterday,
we're going to have a time of prayer today as well. Let's begin. Our Heavenly Father,
we thank you so much for your Word, and we thank you for inviting us into your family.
I pray, God, that you would speak through me. I pray that you would teach us from your Word today.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Job chapter 21. Then Job answered,
Listen carefully to my remarks and let that comfort you. Bear with me so I can speak,
I myself. And after my reply, you can mock. Are my complaints against another human?
Why is my patience short? Turn to me and be appalled. Lay your hand over my mouth.
If I recall it, I'm scared. Shaking seizes my body.
Why do the wicked live, grow old, and even become strong? Their children are always with them,
their offspring in their sight, their houses safe from dread, God's punishing stick not upon them.
Their bull always breeds successfully, their cows give birth and never miscarry,
they send forth their little ones like sheep, their infants bounce around.
They raise drum and lyre, rejoice at the sound of a flute. They spend their days contentedly,
go down to the grave peacefully. They say to God, Turn away from us. We take no pleasure in knowing
your ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve Him, and what can we gain if we meet Him?
Look, isn't their well-being the work of their own hands? A sinner's logic is beyond me.
How often does the lamp of the wicked flicker or disaster come upon them,
with its fury inflicting pain on them? Let them be like straw in the wind, like dry grass stolen
a storm. God stores up His punishment for His children. Let Him destroy them so they know.
Let their own eyes witness their doom. Let them drink from the Almighty's wrath.
What do they care about their household after they die, when their numbered days are cut off?
Will they instruct God, He who judges the most powerful? Someone dies in wonderful health,
completely comfortable and well, their buckets full of milk, their bones marrow-filled and
sound. Another dies in bitter spirit, never having tasted the good things. They lie together in the
dust, and worms cover them. Look, I know your thoughts. Your plans harm me. You say,
Where is the official's house? Where is the tent, the dwelling of the wicked? Haven't you asked
travelers or paid attention to their reports? On the day of disaster, the wicked are spared.
On the day of fury they are rescued. Who can criticize their behavior to their faces?
They act, and who can avenge them? They are carried to their graves. Someone keeps guard
over their tombs. The soil near the desert streambed is sweet to them. Everyone marches after them,
those before them beyond counting. How empty is your comfort to me?
Only deceit remains in your responses. Job chapter 22
Then Eliphaz from Teman answered, Can a human being be useful to God? Can an intelligent person
bring profit? Does the Almighty delight in your innocence? Does He gain when you perfect your
ways? Does He rebuke you for your piety, bring you in for judgment? Isn't your wickedness massive,
your inquiry endless? You've taken payments from your family for no reason, stripped the naked,
leaving no clothes, denied water to the thirsty, withheld bread from the starving. The powerful
own land, the favored live in it. You have sent widows away empty, crushed orphans' resources.
For this reason, snares surround you. Sudden dread brings panic to you or a darkness that
you can't see. Rushing water will cover you. Isn't God in the heights of heaven?
See how high the topmost stars are. You say, what does God know? Can He judge through thick clouds?
Clouds conceal Him so He can't see while He walks on heaven's rim.
Will you keep the ancient way traveled by sinful persons who were snatched prematurely when a
river flooded their foundations? Who say to God, Turn away from us, what can the Almighty do to us?
Yet He filled their houses with good things. A sinner's logic is beyond me.
The righteous see and rejoice. The innocent mock them. Our enemies are certainly cut off.
Fire will devour what's left of them. Get along well with God and be at peace.
From this something good will come to you. Receive instruction from His mouth. Put His
words in your mind. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored, if you keep wrongdoing out
of your tent. Lay your prized possession in the dust, your gold from Ophir on a rock in a desert
streambed. The Almighty will be your prized possession, silver piled up for you. Then you
will take pleasure in the Almighty. Lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and He will
hear you. You will fulfill your solemn promises. If you decree something, it will stand. Light will
shine on your ways. When they are humbled, you will say, Cheer up. God will rescue the lowly.
He will deliver the guilty. They will be saved by your pure hands.
Well, beloved, can we all agree that much of what Job's friends have said to him thus far has been less than helpful?
In a nutshell, they've told him that God must have a very good reason for putting Job in the state he's in.
He's obviously done something to deserve what's happened to him.
He should confess his sin.
Well, in chapter 22 today, some of what Eliphaz had to say to Job is actually being said by some very popular preachers today.
and the message is just plain wrong, and it's destructive to the faith of some people.
Eliphaz's message to Job was this,
Make up with God. Confess your sins. Then your life will have peace. You'll get everything back
that you lost. You'll be rich. And when you say something, it will come to be. You'll never have
any more problems. Man, this is a terrible message because it isn't true. Having an easy life or
getting rich has never been the reason the Bible gives to follow God. As a matter of fact, Jesus
said, In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any
situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. So does what Jesus said
or what Paul said line up with the teaching that Eliphaz gave or some of the preachers today?
I don't think so. There are many examples of godly people in the Bible who faced difficult
situations, and many scriptures that tell us that we can expect troubles, but that God will be with
us through those times, not that he would deliver us from those times. When any preacher tells you
that all you need is faith, faith, and more faith, and that by that faith you'll be magically healed,
or drive a fancy car and live in the finest neighborhood, he's lying to you, to line his own
pockets. And I shudder to think of how many people have turned from God because this kind of faith
just doesn't work. Preachers like this look good and sound good, and there are people everywhere
looking for a way out of poverty or who are sick or who just want an easy way to the top.
And oftentimes these people fall for the lies of the charlatans.
When you hear this kind of message, run. Don't walk to the nearest exit.
Find a place that teaches the entire Word of God, not a place that cherry-picks.
What do you think? You can comment at lifespringmedia.com slash s12e73.
That's the show notes page for this episode, or you can send me an email at steve at Lifespringmedia.com,
or you can go to comment.lifespringmedia.com and leave your comment there.
The best place, though, is the show notes page for this episode, Lifespringmedia.com slash S12E73.
You can see if other people have commented and maybe even respond to them,
maybe get a conversation going there.
Tomorrow we're going to read Isaiah 56 through 61.
And by the way, we're almost through with Isaiah.
Let's see, there's just one more week in the book of Isaiah.
Verse of the day, Job 21, 7.
Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
I chose this verse, beloved, because over my many years, I have often had this same thought.
Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
I'll bet you've had that same thought, and maybe not those words, but we seem to get some satisfaction when we see people get what they deserve, and often that doesn't happen, right?
Hollywood knows that we love to see the bad guy get it at the end of the movie, but in real life, it often seems like too often the bad guys get away with it.
And we think to ourselves, and sometimes might even complain to God, Lord, don't you see what they're doing? Why don't you stop them?
Well, beloved, I don't want to give you any spoilers, so I'm not going to tell you how
God responds to Job at the end of the book.
Suffice it to say that God is still on the throne.
He knows what He's doing.
He's faithful, and He is just.
We can trust Him completely with no reservations.
Comments!
On this date in church history is coming up in a moment, but LifeSpring family member
Chase Jacobson sent an email a few days ago, and he said,
Thank you for doing the LifeSpring One Year Bible again, and double thanks for the Advent calendar.
My kids enjoyed the show, and the Mary Did You Know song brings a tear to my eye.
Well, Chase, me too.
Just as a side note here, I did an interview with a guy that wrote the lyrics to that song, Mark Lowry.
I'll leave a link in the show notes if you want to hear that interview.
But he talked a little bit about writing that song and a lot of other things, too.
It's a fun interview.
Anyway, Chase continues,
I have kept the lovely lady Leanne in my prayers, and hopefully she gets better.
Well, thank you for that.
And happy anniversary tomorrow.
Of course, as you're hearing this, the anniversary was yesterday, but he sent this a few days
ago, like I said.
Chase continues, you two are an inspiration.
Merry Christmas, Chase.
And P.S.
Thank you for the verses we missed.
Well, again, thank you so much for the email, Chase.
You're welcome.
And I'm glad your kids like the LifeSpring White Christmas show.
James and I had a lot of fun doing it.
And the lovely lady Leanne and I both thank you for your prayers.
God bless you and yours, Chase.
And beloved, I would like to hear from you.
There are a few ways to contact me.
Do as Chase did and email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com
or go to comment.lifespringmedia.com
or send a boostagram using a podcasting 2.0 compliant app
or leave a voicemail right here.
Lifespring Family Hotline, 951-732-8511.
Lifespring Family, Family Hotline, 951-732-8511.
On this day in church history, January 1st.
This is the date that we traditionally remember the naming of Jesus,
which took place on the eighth day after his birth.
Well, eight days after December 25th is January 1st.
And this, of course, was in keeping with Jewish law.
Luke tells us that when the child was circumcised, he was given the name Jesus,
the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
Well, that name matters.
Jesus means the Lord saves. Before He preached a sermon, healed a disease, or went to the cross,
His mission was already declared in His name. This moment quietly anchors the Christmas story
in obedience, humility, and purpose. The Son of God submitted to the law,
entering fully into the human story that He came to redeem.
From the earliest centuries, Christians have marked this day not as just an historical detail,
but as a theological declaration. Salvation has a name, and that name was spoken over Christ
before the world ever heard Him speak. Beloved, as the new year begins, it's fitting that the
church starts not with resolutions, but with a name. Not our name, not our plans, but Jesus.
The year ahead will bring uncertainty. It'll bring opportunity, joy, and challenge. But the name that
defines our hope doesn't change. The same Jesus who entered the world in humility is still the Lord
today. The same Savior who bore that name in obedience now bears our burdens in faithfulness.
So as this year unfolds, let's begin where the church has always begun, with trust, with surrender,
and with confidence in the name above every name. A new year begins, and the Savior's name still
saves. If you'd like to hear more about the name of Jesus, I invite you to listen to
Verses We Missed, Episode 1. I'll have a link in the show notes.
Do you think that helping people read through the Bible in a year is a good thing?
Is helping you read through the Bible a good thing? Do the thoughts I share at the end of
each day's reading help you to understand or help you to think more about what we've read?
Your donation helps to ensure that I can continue to bring the show to you seven days a week.
If you think the uncensored, unapologetic, straightforward message of God's Word is valuable,
please support the show.
Let's get 2026 off to a strong start.
Lifespringmedia.com slash support
Praises and prayer requests.
I think I might have solved the identity of Fountain user 888328.
That's how he shows up on Helipad, which is how I see when boosts, boostograms, and streaming sats show up on my desktop computer.
But the other day, I looked at my wallet in the Fountain app, and I see that he goes by the handle Minion on Fountain.
Well, Minion sent a thousand sat boostogram this past Tuesday that was a praise.
He said, prayers for my doctor appointment must have worked.
Even though it took four months to be seen, it was white glove treatment from start to finish,
and all pre-op test results were good.
Praise the Lord.
Well, yes, Minion, praise the Lord.
God is indeed good, and I'm so glad that everything's fine.
I think you're referring to your prayer request for upcoming hernia surgery,
which would mean that you are Paul.
If I'm mistaken, please do let me know.
And also, just a few moments ago, as I was working on the show here,
Leanne told me that her mom is on the way to urgent care. Mom, or Grandma Noni, as the family
calls her, is having shortness of breath and lower back pain. Well, the last time this happened,
she was having a buildup of fluid around her heart. This isn't good for anybody, but she's
93 years old, so it can be bad. Let's keep Grandma Noni in our prayers. Let's pray.
Our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, we love you, and we thank you for first loving us before
we even knew you. It's so good to know that you're there and that you are the same yesterday,
today, and forever. You don't change. Thank you for calling us to yourself.
Thank you, Father, for being with Paul during this time. We pray that as he goes forward,
that you will give him a complete healing. We thank you, Lord. We thank you for hearing our
prayers. And now, Lord, we pray again for Grandma Noni. You've taken her through several health
problems over these past several years. She broke her back twice. She broke her pelvis,
her kidneys shut down, and several other things, but each time you brought her through.
Father, many of us in the family have laughed and said that she's like the Energizer Bunny,
but we all know that it's because of your grace that she's still with us.
She's safe in your hands. We know that. So now we pray for her again. Please be with her and give
her doctor's wisdom as to what to do. Be with her now as we know you already are. Touch her body,
touch her heart. We ask for healing for her one more time. And Lord, I thank you so much for the
LifeSpring family. You brought each one here, and I'm so glad to be able to get to know some of them
through email and comments. Bless each one who's listening now, and we pray that you would show
each of us how to walk closer to you. Give us every day more of a desire to know you.
I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
When you send your prayer requests in, I'll pray for you in my daily prayer time,
and I'll pray for you on the show so that we can all agree together as we take our praises
and prayer requests to God. As always, you can send in your praises and prayer requests
in a variety of ways. Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com, email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com,
text or leave a voicemail at the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511.
Tell someone about the show.
The best way to make the world a better place is to change people's hearts,
and that starts with the Word of God.
That's what the Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is all about.
Beloved, as we begin a new year, let's hold fast to this promise from Hebrews 13.8.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
And now, until tomorrow, may God bless you richly.
Thank you so much for being here and inviting me to be a part of your day.
I'm Steve Webb.
Bye.
Lifespring Media, bringing the message of hope, love, and good news since 2004.
The Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is a Lifespring Media production
hosted by Steve Webb, the OG Godcaster since 2004.