January 13, 2022 GOD CAUSES
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.
Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I must say upfront that I do not fully understand, nor can I completely explain Romans 8:28; yet I it believe it to be true. When we, or someone we love, experiences difficulties and trials, we may, without thinking about it, quickly respond and say that ‘God works all things for good.’ Should someone tell you that just after you have a lost a loved one, it probably would not be comforting. Obviously, how we define ‘good’ is the important factor in this verse. We know that God is good, and we know that He takes no delight in evil, sickness, trials and difficulties. Another important factor to remember is that we still live in a fallen world as the result of sin entering the world as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Even though we live in a fallen world where the majority reject Christ as Savior, we as believers are being transformed and we live in the kingdom of God, in the midst of the ways of the world. We are members of the kingdom of God, but we rub shoulders with trials and difficulties here on earth. God does not say that, for example, that sickness is good; what He does say is that He will use it for good ‘if we love Him and are called according to His purpose.’ That is an interesting point, and a point we must not overlook: “if we love Him and are called according to His purpose.” I assume one could trust Christ as Savior and yet not have a fervent love for Him; and I assume that a believer could chose to live according to his own desires (according to the flesh). To me, briefly stated, ‘being called to according to His purpose’ means that my heart is turned to God and that I am walking according to the Spirit, and not according to my flesh. According to the way these verses read, I have to assume that in such cases, all things may not work together for good. (You will have to come to your own conclusion about what you think these scriptures or saying.) To believe that God is working all things for our good in the midst of a trial, requires faith on our part, because we cannot always see or understand how our difficulty is working for good. God not only knows the future, He creates the future; He is a miracle working God and He does wondrous things among His people. We can find great comfort, even though we do not understand how, in the fact that God is as work on behalf of those who love Him and are walking in His ways. Even though we may endure pain and go through trials, one day we will see how God used it for good; and when we do, we will praise Him for all that He has done. God does not leave us to bear our trials and difficulties alone; God comforts us, and He uses other believers to comfort us as well. God tells us to be anxious for nothing, and He invites us to make our request known to Him, and to cast our cares upon Him; when we do, we experience His peace in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. Yes, trials are difficult, and there are times when we mourn, but God is more than sufficient in such times.
Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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