Death, Encouragement, Forgiveness, God's Plan, God's Promises, Hope, Jesus' Return, Joy, Life, Love, Our Identity, Relationship to Christ, Repentance, Struggles

All Things

We go through seasons in our lives, some good and some not-so-good.  Occasionally, it is a good thing to stop and take stock of what is going on and to see how God is working and how we deal with what is going on.  When it seems we are walking a rough road, we are reminded that God is working for us and through us even during those times.  Our Bible Journaling Verse today says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV)

Earlier in my Christian walk, I did not grasp the true meaning of this verse, and it would make me angry when well-meaning Christians would quote it when someone was going through a trial.  How could what that person was dealing with be a good thing?  When my first husband passed away, some people would quote that to me, and it would make me upset.  It wasn’t until after I had gone through my grieving period that I began to grasp the meaning of this verse.  Of course, what I had gone through wasn’t a good thing.  However, God was working out what happened to me for my good.  I learned a few things during that time that made my walk with Jesus a lot stronger, and I learned how to be on my own after being married for 34½ years. Then God brought my “new” husband to me, and we work together in ministry, he in his, and I in mine.

The Enduring Word website helps us understand this verse a little better. It says, “God’s sovereignty and ability to manage every aspect of our lives is demonstrated in the fact that all things work together for good to those who love God, though we must face the sufferings of this present time (Romans 8:18). God is able to make even those sufferings work together for our good and His good.”  Notice that the verse says that God works ALL THINGS for our good, not just some things, but all things!  He also works them together.  That means each trial and joy fits together with everything else to make up the whole picture for our good.  Much like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece fits together to make the whole puzzle, each thing we endure, each thing that brings us joy, each thing that teaches us something Spiritually, fits together so that the picture that is made shows how God was working for our good.  However, notice that this promise is for those who love God.

This promise is for those who have asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins, come and live inside them, and surrender EVERYTHING to God, promising to follow Him and live for Him for the rest of their days.  Born-Again Believers have the reassurance that God is working in their lives, even when it doesn’t seem like He is anywhere close by.  He works in our lives because He loves us, and we love Him because He loved us first. (1 John 4:19)

Notice also in our verse, that everything is worked together for HIS purpose.  God has a plan for each one of us.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” (NASB 1995)  He has our life planned out, and His plan is for our good!  He wants to give us a future with hope.  That hope is the prospect of living with Him in Heaven for eternity.  He has promised that one day He will return to take His Church to their Heavenly home, where we will live with Him forever.

When life seems to be throwing us a curveball, just know that God is working it all out for our good because He loves us.  Know also, that the good times that come into our lives are also for our good because He loves us.  My friend, I hope you find encouragement in this verse.  God is walking with us through ALL THINGS!

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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