“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him” – Job 13:15 (KJV).
Job reached this commitment in the trying moment of his life. He could not understand why he had to go through the trials and calamities that befell him. But that could not hinder his commitment and dedication to God. He declared that though God slays him, his commitment and trust will not shake. He showed by this statement that not even the threat of death could stop his commitment to God; it was for better or for worse.
Job’s wife, on the contrary, was not prepared to take the worse from God. Her commitment had not reached that level, so she suggested that Job curse God and end the suffering. Job’s wife represents a generation that is not prepared to go through deprivation and calamity for their commitment to God. To her, it was not worth the suffering. We live in an age where people are not prepared to go through much hardship for their faith. The apostles went through agonizing experiences and persecutions for the gospel. While some were crucified, some were skinned alive and some stoned to death. Surprisingly, today, many Christians do not agree that a Christian should go through such hardships and afflictions as a result of commitment to the Christian faith. Many believe that redemption takes care of all forms of sufferings. That Jesus already suffered for us and as such we do not need to suffer again. This erroneous belief always leads to compromise of faith in order to evade suffering.
Marital vow shows a commitment to each other for better or for worse. Our relationship with God is a covenant relationship that cost Christ his life. He was willing to die for us to show his commitment to us. As party to the covenant, we too should be prepared to die for our conviction. We should not only be prepared to live for our faith but also to die for it. Christian faith is not only when one is delivered from death, it takes a strong faith to die for the gospel’s sake. For apostle Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
PRAYER: Lord, I make a commitment to live for you for better or for worse.
Rev. Vincent Diolu