March 25, 2020 ALL THINGS FOR GOOD
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the suffering of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”
Before I get into this subject, a statement made by Peter Parris will prove helpful: “The bible contradicts itself, but only in our minds.” We have a tendency to ignore scriptures that appear contradictory, right? In the above verses, we hear about God working all things for good, and about Him having plans to prosper us, but we also hear about the fiery trials that will come our way. Which is right-blessings and prosperity, or trials? Or both? Again, before we get into todays subject, let us be reminded that there are mysteries when it comes to the kingdom of God. We can’t escape the fact that there are some things, and some truths, that we cannot grasp or figure out with our finite mind. This is where faith comes into play; some reject anything that has no logical explanation. It is through faith that we come to know God and it is by faith that we believe and receive the written word of God. (To get a little deeper in this matter, even the faith we have to receive Jesus as Savior is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8.) With that being said, let’s get back to God working all things for good. It is a hard cold fact: God does work all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We may not fully understand it or explain it, but we can hang our hat on that awesome truth. Another reality that we cannot escape is that in this life we will experience both blessings and difficulties and trials. The first issue we must deal with is this; do we love God, and are we called according to His purposes-or in other words, walking according to His ways as best we know. Until we can answer yes to these two conditions, we cannot be assured that all things are working for our good. That may sound a bit hard, but actually life becomes what God intends only when we do love Him and walk in His ways. Without any doubt, God does have plans to prosper us and to work all things for good, but the process of God working out His glorious plan for us necessitates going through some trials. I think that at the crux of the issue is the call for us to be continually dying to ourselves in order that we may experience all of Him. As we abandon ourselves and yield all things to Him, we discover His love and faithfulness in ways we never experienced before. In fact, it is often in the midst of a trial or crisis that we experience Him in greater ways. Simply said, we must get to the place where we are ok with not having all the answers, yet having an uncompromised faith and trust in our Father. And, we must not be dismayed or discouraged when trials come our way, knowing that God is at work bringing about His purposes in the midst of the trial. So, after all said and done, we have every reason to be at peace, and even rejoice no matter the circumstances because God reigns and His purposes are being fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
Blessings, Buddy
Would love to hear from you and for you to share your thoughts. [email protected]
March 25, 2020 ALL THINGS FOR GOOD
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the suffering of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”
Before I get into this subject, a statement made by Peter Parris will prove helpful: “The bible contradicts itself, but only in our minds.” We have a tendency to ignore scriptures that appear contradictory, right? In the above verses, we hear about God working all things for good, and about Him having plans to prosper us, but we also hear about the fiery trials that will come our way. Which is right-blessings and prosperity, or trials? Or both? Again, before we get into todays subject, let us be reminded that there are mysteries when it comes to the kingdom of God. We can’t escape the fact that there are some things, and some truths, that we cannot grasp or figure out with our finite mind. This is where faith comes into play; some reject anything that has no logical explanation. It is through faith that we come to know God and it is by faith that we believe and receive the written word of God. (To get a little deeper in this matter, even the faith we have to receive Jesus as Savior is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8.) With that being said, let’s get back to God working all things for good. It is a hard cold fact: God does work all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We may not fully understand it or explain it, but we can hang our hat on that awesome truth. Another reality that we cannot escape is that in this life we will experience both blessings and difficulties and trials. The first issue we must deal with is this; do we love God, and are we called according to His purposes-or in other words, walking according to His ways as best we know. Until we can answer yes to these two conditions, we cannot be assured that all things are working for our good. That may sound a bit hard, but actually life becomes what God intends only when we do love Him and walk in His ways. Without any doubt, God does have plans to prosper us and to work all things for good, but the process of God working out His glorious plan for us necessitates going through some trials. I think that at the crux of the issue is the call for us to be continually dying to ourselves in order that we may experience all of Him. As we abandon ourselves and yield all things to Him, we discover His love and faithfulness in ways we never experienced before. In fact, it is often in the midst of a trial or crisis that we experience Him in greater ways. Simply said, we must get to the place where we are ok with not having all the answers, yet having an uncompromised faith and trust in our Father. And, we must not be dismayed or discouraged when trials come our way, knowing that God is at work bringing about His purposes in the midst of the trial. So, after all said and done, we have every reason to be at peace, and even rejoice no matter the circumstances because God reigns and His purposes are being fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
Blessings, Buddy
Would love to hear from you and for you to share your thoughts. [email protected]
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