His Purpose, My Benefit

Most of us go through life thinking we have some semblance of control over what is going on around us, but I am sure if we didn’t realize it before, we now realize we really don’t have control over anything other than ourselves. We may not even have much control over that, to our dismay. Let’s face it, we don’t control the weather, the traffic, the price of gas or groceries, or the reaction of the drivers in front or in back of us. As we have learned in the last few months we can’t control a virus like COVID-19, at least not yet. While it is true we have found cures, vaccines and preventatives for many diseases in the past, we do not have control over what disease will pop up in the future and wreak havoc on our world, just like COVID is doing now. Wouldn’t it be nice if life and our world came with a reset button? Just flip the switch and everything will be like new.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

“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. ”

— Romans 8:28 (NASB)

The verse we are looking at today is a more well known verse in the Christian community. Even people who make no claim to Christ as their Savior understand that even bad things have a purpose and can bring about a greater good. Look at a natural disaster like a forest fire. The fire, while devastating in its initial claim on natural life, also serves as a catalyst for rebirth and growth. Some of you may know that certain pine cones only open to release their seeds during times of great heat, like that of a fire.

Image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay

Let’s take a closer look at the truth found in this single verse.

And we know…

It says that we know. Our knowing had to come from somewhere. Where did it come from? The knowledge talked about in this verse is knowledge given by God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We do not find this knowledge in a book, other than the Word of God and we will not find this knowledge in the most scholarly universities. We gain this knowledge as we sit in His presence.

“Cease striving and know that I am God;”

— Psalm 46:10(a) (NASB)

…that God…

I am choosing to give this two word phrase a place of its own because of the importance of this Being who is present. God is here. He is active. He is not just sitting around, He’s involved. His presence is with us through every trial, difficulty and trouble. You and I are never alone, when God is near.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

— Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

Image by Yuri_B from Pixabay

…causes…

God is the one at work here. He is a God of action. His movements are not known to us, but they are done for us. This is not to blame God for all the terrible things that happen. There is the matter of sin and free will. However, God is able to take all of it, the good and the bad and move it, creating a new thing entirely.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

— Philippians 2:13 (NASB)

…all things…

Let me clarify this for you. The word all, means everything. There is not one thing that God is not aware of or involved in. The good, the bad and the ugly are all things, things that He is able to change into something else.

“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”

— Psalm 57:2 (NASB)

…to work together for good…

All these things that God is aware of and involved in; these things He is causing to work together for good. Like the raging flame blows its heat consuming the tree that bears the cone, is needed by that very same cone to reseed the forest, so too God uses the heat of the flames of difficulty to work for our good.

You might be wondering at this point, what is the good that He is working out, if our loved ones are gone and our jobs are forfeit? What is the good when our marriages crumble and our children walk away from all they’ve been taught? The good is His good. He uses those flames and that heat to bring new birth to our souls, if we but let Him do it.

“28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

— Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)

…to those who love God…

This then becomes the most important question. Do we love Him? As Jesus asked Peter by the sea of Galilee, “Do you love me?” If we truly love Him, our lives will be consumed with His will and His good. We will see that He alone knows what is best and what is best is walking with Him, abiding with Him and tending His sheep.

“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

— John 21:17 (NASB)

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

…to those who are called according to His purpose.

What is this purpose we are called to? To be like Christ.

“15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

— 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB)

But not only that, it is our purpose to glorify Him.

“6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

— 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB)

In addition it is our purpose to be obedient.

“16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)

God’s purpose is our benefit. To make us more like Christ, to honor and glorify Him is the greatest benefit we can receive.

Creation Groans

When we start delving into today’s portion of scripture, I think you will agree with me that it is quite apropos. Without further delay, let’s look at Romans 8:18-22.

“18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now”

— Romans 8:18-22 (NASB)

I’d like to start with verse 22 and then look at what comes before. The following are a few images I took from Pixabay, which is a website that offers free stock photos for anybody who needs a picture for a blog or other internet posting. Verse 22 says that creations groans and suffers the pains of childbirth. Why is this so?

Terrorist Attacks

Image by JL G from Pixabay

The first picture is a made up image, but the second is the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in NYC in September of 2011.

Natural disasters

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

The first image is the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornados in 2019. The second photo is what is left after a tsunami devastated a costal town.

Wars

Image by Welcome to all and thank you for your visit ! ツ from Pixabay

Image by Jordy Meow from Pixabay

The first is an old stock photo from the end of WWII; the second part of the devastation in Nagasaki, Japan after the nuclear bomb.

Disease

Image by Terri Sharp from Pixabay

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Obviously, these last two are fairly current. We all are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have died. Many are ill. Most are feeling the fear that accompanies something of this nature. Our world is groaning under the burden of sin; the burden of hatred, tragedy, war and disease.

Let’s go back to verse 18 and take it apart.

…for I consider…

The idea to consider something means to think about it; mull it over; let it sit in your brain for a spell.

…that the sufferings of this present time…

This phrase is just as pertinent today as it was when Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome. For them it was the suffering of persecution, but it really doesn’t matter what sort of suffering you are going through. Whatever it is, it is happening right now.

…are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We can feel pretty strongly about the sufferings we go through. There are times suffering seems impossible to bear. There are people who give up, taking their own lives and often the lives of others around them, because they cannot bear the suffering. Take that feeling and multiply it tenfold. You don’t even begin to be able to compare it to the glory that is yet to be revealed to us.

“The sufferings are small and short, and concern the body only; but the glory is rich and great, and concerns the soul, and is eternal.”

— Matthew Henry's Bible commentary on Romans 8:18

You might be thinking, who cares about what is to come? The struggle is here and now, and hoping for some vague glory in the future doesn’t do any good to ease the suffering I am going through right now. That is where you are wrong. Placing our belief in a risen Savior makes all the difference in the world.

Remember what we learned over the last few weeks? We are children of God. We are His heirs. We have His Spirit communicating with our spirits. Remember, the last part of verse 17 last week said that if we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified with Him.

Let’s move on to verse 19.

For the anxious longing of creation…

What do you think creation is anxiously longing for? Why is creation anxiously longing? To understand this we must revisit the idea that God created. The first two chapters of the Bible tell the story of creation. It was at this event the partnership of the three-in-one God-head spoke and breathed the world into existence. If you are a creative type like me, you know when you invest yourself in a creative effort it takes a part of you. Creation was a part of God’s creative being. However, in chapter three of Genesis we see the creation that God intended was marred by sin. Ever since sin entered the world, creation has been longing for a return to the beauty and purity it was once intended to have.

…waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

This event will come about when we are reunited with Jesus; when those who are living are taken up and those who are dead rise to meet him in the air. After Christ returns we will be revealed in His glory to be His children and heirs. Whatever your opinion about pre, mid or post tribulation rapture, there will come a time when we will be reunited with Christ.

The rest of today’s passage further solidifies the idea that creation was subject to futility, not because it wanted to be, but because God made it so. Why couldn’t God have spared creation and just subjected the ones who sinned, Adam and Eve (humanity) to the resulting disparity? I believe as much as He loved His creation, He loved His humanity more. He created mankind in His image, not the creation. The creation was a result of His creative breath, but humanity was His crowning jewel. To have thrown them out of the garden into a world in which they could not thrive or even survive would have been to have ended the creative effort too soon. Instead, he gave mankind a fallen creation, to work the hardened soil, that mimicked their hardened heart.

Even so, if we look around, we can see, creation groans and suffers, but it also, at least occasionally whispers, sings, shouts and claps its hands in praise of the God of glory.

Image by bertvthul from Pixabay

Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay

Image by Tomasz Marciniak from Pixabay

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Image by Andreas Breitling from Pixabay

Image by Domenic Hoffmann from Pixabay

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

Have a great Wednesday, everyone. Keep looking up.

When the Monsoon Winds of Change Blow

I spent the morning doing a little bit of cleaning, putting away Halloween decor and getting out Thanksgiving decor. While I was doing that I was thinking about what to do with this Faith post. My life has never been one of discipline or routine. My spouse is a college instructor, so every semester the schedule changes. We homeschooled our two girls all the way through high school so that schedule changed in accordance with my spouse’s. There were times when Mark had several evening classes, so we would have our main meal together at lunch time. Other times, the girls and I would fend for ourselves, knowing dad wouldn’t be home until 9 or 10 at night. In addition to that all of our family is out of state. Holidays, spring breaks and summers were often littered with trips to see Grandmas and Grandpas, uncles, cousins and friends.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Change is not a bad thing. Often, change can be exciting and something we look forward to with anticipation. Unfortunately, change can also be something that fills us with dread and despair. In just a few short weeks, my position as assistant manager of a university bookstore will be over. It was a position I grew into, as I started working when my girls were just little. I went from sales clerk, to general merchandiser, to shipping and receiving clerk, to assistant manager. I made the transition working part time, so I could still homeschool our girls and more recently help out with our grandson.

I had hoped that I could take a few months off, get my thoughts together and get through the holidays without the added stress of learning a new job, having a new schedule, blending with new coworkers and on and on the change comes. However, that is not the case. I have to find another job, so I am applying for something seasonal.

Image by Andi Graf from Pixabay

Part of the reason, I am writing this is to work through the situation myself. Losing a job is like losing someone close to you. You didn’t get to have a say in when it happened, it just happened. You didn’t get to determine, what that change or that end would look like, it just ended. So here I am. I’m 55 and not sure what the next step is, other than to keep stepping.

There is a passage of Scripture that seems especially pertinent to my situation today, and maybe will speak to you as well.

“26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
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.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— Romans 8:26-39 (ESV)

There are several key points that we can pull from this passage.

1 - Someone is praying for us.

Verses 26 and 27 plainly state that the Spirit intercedes for us. I love this. To know that someone is praying for me and not just praying but interceding with “groanings too deep for words.” Have you ever noticed when life is overwhelming it is also often confusing as well. In addition, knowing what God is trying to do through or in a situation is more often than not beyond our ability to understand. There are times I find myself saying, “Lord, I don’t even know how to pray.” That is how I have felt over the last few months as I have looked down the pike to losing my job. Sure, my heart would like to pray that everything would go smoothly and that I wouldn’t have to get another job right away. I want to be able to enjoy the holidays and not have them messed up with a new schedule and the stress of learning a new job. But, my mind is also praying for a new job as soon as possible. I have also entertained the idea, that maybe God would just like me to really trust Him. Ha, ha. It is exactly in this state of confusion that my prayers often hit the ceiling and go no further, so it is very reassuring to me that the Holy Spirit is praying for me and He is praying according to the will of God. Pure and simple.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

2 - Things will work out.

It would be nice to say, that things will work out, exactly as we had hoped and expected, but reality says that is rarely the case. However, according to verse 29, things will work for good to those who love God, and who are called according to His purpose. That may sound a little confusing, as though we have to figure out what God’s purpose is. The fact of the matter is, all we have to do is be present. Whatever the circumstance or difficulty, God will work it out and you can be sure it will be for your best and my best, because His will is always for our best. Our minds are limited in what we are able to see as being best, but from personal experience, I can say, it is only when I am completely submitting to Him and whatever path or direction He’s leading me that I have complete peace. That path may be wretchedly difficult, but He is walking it with us and the end result will be good.

Image by SplitShire from Pixabay

3 - We are known, called, justified and glorified.

Verses 29 and 30 pack a big punch. There is a lot going on in these two verses, and rather than delving into each word individually, just know that we are pretty darn important to our Creator. I am also not going to get into a discussion on predestination versus free will. My heart believes that both are possible and that God is the only one who needs to understand how it works. That is good enough for me. The fact that He knew us from the beginning, He called us to Himself, He justified us through His Son Jesus Christ, and He will glorify us at the resurrection with new bodies, reiterates the amazing love of this being we call Jehovah. The complexity of this relationship with an Almighty being becomes clearly simple when we believe that everything He does is done for our benefit.

Image by Stefan Kuhn from Pixabay

4 - God is for us.

This needs little explanation. The only thing you have to do is believe it!

5 - God will provide.

God, who did not spare His own Son, Jesus, for our benefit, will provide all that we need. Note, I did not say all that we want, but all that we need. What we are responsible to do is figure out, what is it, that we really need. Food, clothes, love, security. Think about people who have been persecuted, tortured or neglected, yet still survived and even thrived regardless of the adversity. What is it that we really need? Only to abide with Him.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

6 - We are secure.

Verses 33 through 35, and 38 through 39, reassure us of our firm foundation in Christ. No one can separate us from Him or His love. We can be persecuted, neglected, overwhelmed, or in despair, but still He is with us. We might be losing our jobs, our spouses, our families, our homes, our health, but still He is with us and we are secure in His hands.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

7 - We are conquerors in Him.

Verses 36 and 37, give us the kick in the pants we need, when we become self focused. When change is coming and the future is uncertain we can easily begin to look inward thinking things like, we’ll never get through this, we can’t do this one more day, we aren’t good enough or other such thoughts that take our focus off the one through whose hands every circumstance trickles. We can become anxious, self-absorbed and begin to invite friends to our pity party, but that is not what God wants for us. Verse 37 says, “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Think about your favorite super hero movie. How did they get through the battles with bad guys, aliens and monsters? They conquered. They conquered their fear and they conquered the enemies. We have an Almighty, All Powerful God on our side. We can be conquerors too, in Him.

Image by Joanny Liu from Pixabay

The Trickle Down Effect

I am putting my Traits of a Godly Person on hold to address, once more, the need for constantly abiding in Christ. Living this life is no easy task. Maybe for some, the living of life bears no heavy burdens. Your life is free of insecurities and unknowns. You haven’t experienced the death of a loved one, or the loss of a dear friend. Maybe you’ve never watched an aging parent slowly fade as their mind gives in to the devastation of dementia. You might even be a parent, but have never had a child who rebelled against all you taught them because of a dark secret they carried. Maybe you’ve never gone without a job or had to scrimp and save, just to put food on the table. Most of us don’t have that privilege. Most of us struggle day after day and many of us lose hope.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Why abide in Christ? What difference does it make? Will He relieve us of these burdens by removing memory of our loss, or by showering our houses with gold coins, or by healing the minds of our kin that are turning into literal mush? Probably not. Why then abide?

Andrew Murray says it best,

“Dear souls! How little they know that the abiding in Christ is just meant for the weak, and so beautifully suited to their feebleness. It is not the doing of some great thing, and does not demand that we first lead a very holy and devoted life. No, it is simply weakness entrusting itself to a Mighty One to be kept — the unfaithful one casting self on One who is altogether trust worthy and true. Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as the condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us and through us. It is a work He does for us — the fruit and the power of His redeeming love. Our part is simple, to yield, to trust and to wait for what He has engaged to perform. ”

— Andrew Murray - Abide In Me

When you are tired, abide.

When you are weak, abide.

When you feel lost, abide.

When you feel tempted, abide.

When you experience loss, abide.

When you experience joy, abide.

When the sun rises in the morning, abide.

When the afternoon grows long, abide.

When that same sun sets in the evening, abide.

Day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, abide.

Abiding is made much easier when we recognize two truths.

Truth 1 - God is Sovereign

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.”

— Psalm 103:19 (NASB)

“13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

— 1 Timothy 6:13-16 (NASB)

No matter what we think or what we do, we cannot change the fact that God is and He is supreme. We cannot put Him into a box of our design, even though most people try. We cannot make Him do what we want, even though we pray with pleading and begging as if it will make a difference. We do not control Him, nor do we control the things that come into our lives, unless they are the result of our own choices. Even those, are sifted through the fingers of the Almighty. This idea is what I like to call the trickle down effect. Nothing comes into our lives that does not first go through the hands of God.

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

You might be thinking at this point, “Well, if that’s the case then God is an overbearing, bad guy.” But that brings me to the point number 2.

Truth 2 - God Loves You

Image by Vlad Ymyr from Pixabay

It might be hard to see that, when you are going through a difficult struggle, but it still holds true. We can say, “I do not believe the sun will come up tomorrow.” However, tomorrow the sun will come up. Our saying I don’t believe something, does not make it the case. God is love and God loves us. He is the purest, most perfect form of love. No matter how sacrificially we love, our love is still imperfect compared to the love with which God loves us.

“The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

— Jeremiah 31:3 (NASB)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

— John 3:16 (NASB)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

— John 13:34 (NASB)

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”

— John 15:9 (NASB)

“and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

— Romans 5:5 (NASB)

That last verse speaks a truth we need to hear and remember. Hope does not disappoint. Why? Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Dear ones, God loves you and the testimony of that love is the Holy Spirit that lives with in you. Should we not also do Him the service of living within Him. This is what it means to abide. To dwell within and with, not just when we are strong and things are good, but especially when the darkness has fallen.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

I love to go for walks with my spouse in the darkness of night and see all the houses with their lights on. I am not looking in like a voyeur, but in amazement and thanksgiving, that even in the darkness light still shines because someone is living there.

The light shines within us, even in the darkness, because He is living there and we abide with Him. Knowing that nothing comes into my life that He hasn’t already seen with His eyes, heard with His ears and felt with His heart gives me the strength to stay in that safe place, nestled in His arms.