All things work together for good, for those who love God.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

Who are those who love God? What does it mean to love God? It is hard to maintain a distance relationship. People who live great distances apart find it difficult to maintain a close relationship. That is why God has given us the Holy Spirit. Although God dwells in heaven He has given us His Spirit that lives inside us. In fact you could not have a closer relationship with God that to have Him live inside you. Those who love God are those who have received the Holy Spirit into their hearts by faith in Jesus Christ and have been born again. Only if you are a child of God born of the Spirit can you truly love God:

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: – 1 John 2:5

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. – 1 John 1:7

Now as a child of God He has a purpose for your life. All the things that happen to you are no longer random, chance happenings. It is true we are effected by other peoples’ decisions. But behind all these happenings God is working to ensure it is for our own good. This aspect of God’s ability is probably the most amazing and most hard for us to comprehend. How can God organise things to be for our good when the entire population of the earth has free will and can make decisions that are against the will of our loving Father? Shepherds know how hard it is to herd sheep. That is probably one of the reasons that great Jewish leaders such as Abraham, Moses and King David were all at one time in their lives shepherds. Some how God manages to co-ordinate the rebellious, self-centered, self-destructive, easily led to do evil, human race so that His will and His purposes will be accomplished. This is more amazing than creation itself. God in His wisdom is making all things work together for the good of those called according to His purpose. What is the purpose of God? That His glory should be manifest and all those who believe in Him should be saved:

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. – Jude 1:24-25

All things work together for good when Jesus Christ is glorified and revealed to a lost and dying world. As Christians we are called to place our lives on the cross. Jesus was placed on the cross because of the decisions of people who were rebellious and sinful. And yet through it God brought salvation to those who would believe in Him. Now, the death of the flesh and the old man on the cross enables us to live in the new man, empowered by the Holy Spirit. What may seem like a terrible situation to us is there to give us life, hope, peace and joy. When things around us seem to be pressing in so that we just do not understand what is happening or why God is allowing it to happen we can be assured it is because He loves us and it is working to produce faith in us that is more precious to us than gold.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1:2-4

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. – Isaiah 48:10-11

 

 

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