Romans 8:28-30 - God Can Make Good From the Bad

Today, Tuesday February 23 Romans 8:28-30 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. This has to be one of the most quoted and most beloved verses in the New Testament. What an awesome promise and provision we have from the Holy Spirit that no matter what happens in our lives, the Lord can work them out together for good for His purpose. But to properly apply this to our lives we must remember several things. One, this promise cannot be claimed and experienced by everyone. It appears that there is a condition “for all things to work together for good.” This promise is for “those who love God.” If you are not loving God and living for Him, don’t try to claim this promise. How do you know if you love the Lord? Jesus said, that you would be keeping His commandments! (John 14:21&24) If you are living in disobedience to God’s Word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, don’t expect things to work together for good. Second, notice that this verse does not say that all things that happen are good. Bad things happen to good people! In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are told, “In everything give thanks…” In Philippians 4:6 we read that, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God…” We are not told that we have to give thanks for the bad things that happen in our lives, but we can still have a trusting and thankful heart, because we believe God still loves me and will somehow bring good out of the suffering and pain. Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis and how his brothers hated him, mistreated him and sold him into slavery. None of those things were good. They were all wrong! But Joseph would later say, “What you all meant for evil, God meant for good.” Joseph was able to forgive and help his evil brothers later, because he believed and saw how God used all these bad things that happened in his life to teach him how to trust, obey and love the Lord despite his circumstances. All the ingredients used to make a delicious cake are not good by themselves, but when they are vigorously mixed together and put in the oven, they can sure come out good! And last, remember it is all about God’s divine purposes He is working out in your life and the lives of those around you! God bless!