Look, in this you are not righteous, I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Job 33:12

Used auto salesmen are commonly believed to be deceptive in their words about a given vehicle. Some will give extremely high views about the vehicle speaking some truth, but eliminate the bad details about it. Or they will downplay the negative. It is a mixed speaking of truth and lies in order to get the customer to purchase the vehicle.

The words spoken are specifically aligned to get the desired, pre-determined outcome and personal decision already made from someone else.

Elihu continues to go against Job. He tells Job that Job is not righteous in what he was saying, and that God is greater than man. In the moment Elihu could not know the full truth of what was occurring in Job’s life. Later God would declare Job innocent.

Looking from the outside into the life of someone else’s difficulties, it is very easy for one to get the wrong picture of what is occurring. On the outside, one can only see a portion of another’s life, and definitely cannot see the heart as God sees it.

Many ‘caring’ believers will look at the trouble in someone’s life and automatically call out that there must be sin bringing on the problems and that God is greater than any person. This is a mixed truth and lie. God is greater than any person is truth, but not always is sin the cause of problems.

God allows problems in the lives of His people to build them up and prove their faith in Him. Believers need to be careful about what they say and how they judge another’s situation. They do not want to mix truth and lies.

You would never want anyone to accuse you of something that is not true just because they only see one side of the whole picture. In the same way you need to be careful in what you say about the situation in other’s lives.

God’s ways are far above yours and He works in mysterious ways. He will use problems in your own life and in the lives of others to build people up in Jesus. Be careful to always speak the whole truth of God, not just a part and then mix in some lies or unfounded ‘facts’. This is for your own life and for the lives of others.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the truth God speaks; that you will only speak God’s truth; that you will not say what God has not given you to say; and that you will build others up in Christ Jesus and His word.

Photo by Sensei Minimal under Unsplash