The Good - Romans 8:28

 

Romans 8:28

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

It’s a crazy world we live in and seems chaotic at times. Politics, news and the pandemic seem to keep the bad news coming and we are desperate for hope. At least that’s the way it seems if we only look at life from the human perspective. But God has given us a source of hope in this world: the Bible.

As believers, we know from His Word that there is more going on than meets the eye.  God is at work, and He has been working since the beginning. The Bible is a big book and every page is filled with the mystery and promises of God, but it can be difficult to mind the depths of it.

Yet God, in His great mercy toward us, has given us segments that are so full of promises and truths, that if we dwell on them we can’t help but be hopeful. Hopeful in the biblical sense, meaning a confident assurance in God, not the wishful thinking of the modern use of the word hope.

This week, Andie will be sharing some thought from Romans 8. This chapter has been called “The Great Eight” and John Piper said this about it “The greatest book, the greatest chapter, for the greatest joy.” 

As Romans moves us from our desperate and hopeless state without Christ, it then brings us to what God has done through His Son on our behalf. Romans 8 has so many of the promises and works of God in the believers life that you can dwell on it for a life time.

Romans 8:28 is a verse that I find particularly encouraging. In a season where so much seems to be going wrong, Romans 8:28 gives us another lens to look at it with.

God is at work. God is at work on behalf of those who love Him. God is a work for the good of those who love Him. God is at work for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose.

When you read the news, see the political polarization, or fear the pandemic, don’t forget that God is working in and through all these things. Not only is He working, but He is working “all things” for “the good.” 

“All Things” means nothing is wasted. God doesn’t just permit things to happen in a haphazard way. God has a design an intent for all things you encounter in life. That means the hard and ugly things as well as the easy and beautiful things. A phrase I continue to encounter is that God is working to help us “let go of the temporal and embrace the eternal.” 

We are often white knuckling life, gripping the temporal so firmly that we miss the grace that God has available to us. Every trial and tribulation we face is a revelation that this life is fleeing and passing away. Moving from the grip we have on the “here and now” and learning to embrace the future grace we have in Christ is so important.

Why white knuckle the temporal when we can rest in the embrace of Jesus?

“The Good” is something we have to step back and consider. For the longest time I read this verse thinking that “the good” was “my good” or my perspective of what is good. My perspective is limited and based on the temporal. I want an easy life. I want all my needs meet as soon as I have them. I am a product of the “your way right away”, microwave culture. I’m used to the drive through, fast food, culture.

But “The Good” is so much more; deeper and richer than I can imagine. It means that God is working our my lives to shape us into the image of Christ. It means God is preparing you and me for greater things and for an eternity with Him. It also means that you may miss what “the good” is right now, but later you will see what God was up to.

It wasn't until a pastor friend of mine came back from a sabbatical he was on after the tragic loss of his second child. The first sermon he preached was on Romans 8:28. He talked about the good God was doing in his life, despite the tragic loss and deep pain he was in. Through his tears, he spoke of a greater good than I had ever considered, and the kindness of God toward him in his loss. 

The rich truth of this verse, and just one of many from Romans 8, is that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God is at work in your life. Nothing happens by accident. God, from His eternal perspective, knows what you need now and in the future. 

He weeps when you weep, even though He knows the good He will bring about because of your pain. Jesus wept with Mary, even though He knew he was going to raise Lazarus (John 11:14, 33-35).

Jesus rejoices with you as He brings blessings into your life. We have a God that is intimately involved in our lives, for our greatest good and our deepest joy. If you are going through a hard time now, hold fast and trust His hand and you will be blessed (James 1:12). 

God doesn’t give up, He continues to work, and His work is for our good (Phil 1:6).