Do All Things Work for Good?
We’re all on a journey that God has prepared for each of us. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has foreordained that we should walk therein. The first stage of the journey is finding out what God is like. How well do you know him. Paul said, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. The second stage is to understand how he has enabled us with the fruit of the spirit. The third step is knowing how God has gifted each of us. Through the journey we will understand and know his will for our lives as we enter the fourth stage: living according to his calling.
Last week we read in James 1 that God has called us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Pete recounts a story of one of the husbands in his Marriage Builder class. He approached Pete and asked for a private conference.. He told Pete that his wife had left him a note that said, “If you want to save our marriage, then go see Pete.” Sometimes men think that pastors can raise the dead. Pete asked him, “Are you willing to do anything you need to do to save your marriage?” His response was, “probably not.” Without a firm commitment to God and his word, it’s difficult for men to make a commitment to others including their own wives. If we’re to be reconciled, it must be on God’s terms…we must meet each other at the foot of the cross.
Jesus’ disciples understood what it would mean to be a disciplined follower of Christ. To be a genuine Christian believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. To say, “Jesus is Lord,” means to declare that we are not our own…he is our master. It’s not who we are but rather, whose we are. When we make his word our word, then we can meet others in Christ with a common commitment. We cannot have peace with others until we have the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ.
God wants to know, Whatever you’re doing, are you doing it with a heart of love? Men look at appearances but God looks upon the heart. God doesn’t look at your actions, he looks at your heart. Out of the heart are the issues of life.
According to Romans 8:28, all things work together for good to those who love God; to those who are called according to his purpose. God is still sovereign. He is all powerful…his word and his will shall come to pass. Upon the journey of life, we do not know the end from the beginning…but he does. Trusting God depends on our concept and understanding of Him. Knowing Him will determine whether our joy is in the Lord and not in the tragedies and trials of a fallen world. If we’ve tasted and seen that God is good, then we can know the love of our Heavenly Father. Love is the nature of God himself. He loves us not because of who we are but because of who he is. God is love and in him is no darkness at all.
Jesus said, “there is none good, no not one.” What is “good?” Goodness is the nature of God himself. Good must be understood in the light of God’s definition, not man’s. The greater good is God’s own glory. For those who love the Lord we know that all things work together for His glory and for our good. God wants to bless. Our definition of blessing means that God will “keep us comfortable.” Men live for the comfort of life and for the rush of emotion. However, God does not always allow us to be “emotionally” blessed. God orders the universe according to his Word, his “logos” in Greek. He does not order the world according to our “good feeling.” God is Sovreign over all. His plan is different from ours. When disasters happen, unbelievers call these “acts of God.” However, God allows these things according his own will. In the midst of trials, these are the days that try men’s souls. Our reaction to life’s difficulties will teach us what’s really important. If our comfort is important to us, then we will be confronted with the truth of God’s calling: not my will but thine be done. Why do the innocent suffer? He who did not spare his own son, how shall he not also freely give us all things. Tribulation worketh patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
Luke 17 is about a master who told his servant, first prepare my meal and then you can sit down and eat. The point of the story is that we have been called with an opportunity to serve in obedience to his command. As we’re in his will, he will walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. As Paul came to understand, “thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me.” He came to the point of acceptance… Thy will be done.
Romans chapter 1 tells the story of the downfall and degradation of this world and the systems of the world. However, according to Romans 8:28, we’ll be blessed in spite of the trials of this world. God will shake us to the core. The result will determine if our lives are founded upon the sand or if our foundation is upon the rock of ages, Jesus Christ himself.
It’s OK to grieve for those who have lost their lives. It’s OK to suffer though the trials of life. However, God is still in control. The solution to the trials of life is Jesus Christ himself. He said, in this world you shall have tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael