To God be the glory

Thought for the Week

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose"--Romans 8:28

We are a people who conjecture, guess, surmise, suppose, imagine and speculate but not often do we dare say "we know". And now we have before us an astounding passage that offers to us more  hope than one can imagine. This is one of those exceedingly precious promises given to those who love God and are living faithful lives of obedience to him.  This passage is without a doubt the gateway to living an abundant life in Christ. Loving God with an undying love  and trust instills within us a hope that allows us to look beyond the circumstances of this life to our final home on that far away strand (Phil. 3:13-14).

Our loyalty and commitment to our Lord are the antidote that will see us safely through all the circumstances that we encounter on this journey of life whether they be good or bad or even a mixture of the two. As a child of God we have the awesome privilege of being able to look to our Lord for all we need to carry us through each day (Heb.4:14-16, Phil. 4:6-7, 1 John 5:14, ).

We are not told that everything in life is good for those that love God. There are things in life that are not good such as pain, disease, illnesses, defeats, evil and wickedness. There is a mixture in our lives of good/bad, joy/sorrow, easy tasks/difficult tasks, triumphs/defeats. We are being assured in this passage that all the different circumstances we encounter on this journey will ultimately bring about a result that will be a cause of rejoicing on our part so long as we love and obey the Lord. Hear the writer of Hebrews as he says, For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11--ASV). I really like that little word "later". God's later takes into consideration not only the present moment but looks to that final moment when we will cast off this earthly tabernacle and be ushered into a realm where all things have been made new (2 Cor. 5:1, Rev. 21:4).

This life is truly a great adventure. We never know from one moment to the next what is going to happen to us. One thing I do know is that with a  heart filled with love for my Lord, with my faith, my trust and my confidence in him, my sojourn through this life will be a successful one and whatever happens will ultimately work for my good. I believe the same holds  true for all who read these words.

To God be the glory forever and ever (1 Pet. 5:11)

Charles Hicks