Wednesday, March 09, 2011

In All Things

Steven Furtick post:  Everything is for your good


There’s a tension that exists in the Bible that we all feel and live in every day.

In Genesis 1, God made the heavens and the earth and He called them good. So there’s some things that are good simply because God has made them and called them that.

The earth. Life. Marriage.

All God-made and good things.

But not everything is good. We have Genesis 3 to thank for that.

There’s the earth, but there’s also earthquakes.
There’s life, but there’s also death.
There’s marriage, but there’s also divorce.

This is where we live. And we could say that that’s just something we have to accept. It’s a tension that we have to live with. We’re going to have some good and some bad in this world.

While in a sense that’s true, I think there’s something we frequently overlook – the reality of Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This changes everything. It eases the tension. Because here’s the truth:
Some things God makes and calls them good.
Some things He makes work together for the good of those who are called.

Either way, there is absolutely nothing in your life that isn’t good or beyond God’s ability to work for your good.

Your body, which is good. Or the cancer in it, which is terrible.
Your wife, who is good. Or her death, which was tragic.
Your children, who are good. Or them walking away from God, which is heartbreaking.

This is why Paul can go on to say in Romans 8:39 that nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God. It’s because there is nothing in all creation that God did not make or that is beyond the scope of His redemptive power to remake.

You might think you’re the exception, but you’re not. Romans 8:28 isn’t a statement of probability or possibility. It’s a statement of reality. It’s not, God can make all things work for your good, but maybe that doesn’t apply to you. It’s that every second of your life He is making all things work for your good.

Whether you can see it now or not, your life is one of the greatest testimonies to the goodness and creative capabilities of God you’re ever going to behold. For what He has already given you that’s good. And for how He can redeem your life after it falls apart, or remake your heart after it’s been shattered.

No matter what position you’re in, there’s no place where God’s love cannot find you and recreate you.

No matter what you have experienced, your life is stamped by the goodness of God.

Yes, there’s good and bad. But it’s all for your good.

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