“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.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
This morning I am thinking about the will of God and how sometimes it clashes with my own. I’m reminded again of the vast difference between my priorities and His. As a mom, I trend toward calm, comfort, routine and relative safety. God operates on a much higher plane. He trends toward righteousness, transformation, restoration and relationship.
Years ago I accidentally taught a youth Sunday School class on Romans 8:28. I think we were going around the room sharing our favorite scriptures when a student quoted Romans 8:28 with a happy smile, confident that it meant that God was on their team. Romans 8:28 might be the most mis-wielded scripture in all of God’s word. If anything, this verse asks us if we are on God’s team!
That was the unplanned lesson that morning. God promises to redeem all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The reader must ask themselves, do I love God? Am I called?
We recall that God isn’t asking for an occasional burst of affection or a fleeting acknowledgment as we duck out the door on our way to other things. No, He’s asking for heart, mind and soul-consuming commitment. He’s expecting that no portion of ourselves be held back from our pursuit of Him. Do you love God? Search your life; is it entirely set aside for His purpose?
The second question might be even trickier than the first. Are you called? Has He said your name and if He did, how did you answer? This might be full-time ministry but often times it’s a career path or a friendship to forge, a conversation to have. I clearly remember my calling and I thank God for such a distinct and dramatic experience because I rely on it often, every time I want to quit, in fact. I am convinced, though, because of that calling that living anything less than ‘yes’ to ministry for me would be far below the mark that He’s clearly made.
So if you can answer ‘yes’ to those two questions, the third concept in this one sentence sermon is ‘good.’ I think I missed this in my Sunday School discussion. It was long before my mom died of cancer and my brother got blown up in his shop and my dad succumbed to injuries in a tragic car accident. As I hinted at in the opening of this discussion, God’s version of ‘good’ looks very different than my own. Good to me means everyone alive and healthy and having all we need. Good to God seems to mean we are moving forward along His agenda of being perfected. God’s idea of ‘good’ reframes our lives. The onlookers of our lives have opportunities to ask questions about who God is and what He asks of those He loves. Our idols are abandoned as we learn to only bow before the One True God. Good means there are hidden heavenly things being accomplished in the ordinary folds of our existence. Good means we are slowly being remade into divine likeness and the world is moving toward Him.
Yesterday, I received some news and it’s not my favorite and it doesn’t feel good upon receipt. But this morning I remember Romans 8:28 and I recommit to my call. I love God. And I trust that His version of good is much higher and purer than mine.
“I would have lost heart, unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord i the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13 NKJV)
Lord, today we rely upon Your goodness again. We renew our covenant commitment to You: I am My Beloved’s and He is mine.” We decide anew to love You: heart, mind, soul and strength. We surrender our story to Your divine and sometimes hidden agenda. We still trust Your heart toward us. Amen.