Well, let's examine where this comes from because there is a lot more to it than what most people say.
(Romans 8:28 ESV) “8) '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.'
Scripture Thought:
Romans 8:28 is another one of those popular scriptures that is misquoted and misunderstood most times when people say it. What they tend to say is the first part of the scripture and leave out the last portion of the scripture which gives true understanding to the first portion. What is said is "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." This is the popular part of the scripture, what it leaves us to think, as long as we 'love' God all things will work out for our good. Unfortunately, if you ask most people how we as mankind show our love for God, they usually have a hard time answering the question even though it is answered plainly in the Bible. This is the first misunderstanding people have with this scripture, the second part is that you must be called according to His purpose for the first portion of the scripture to be applied to you. I will explain both parts.
Jesus, Himself told us in (John 14:21 ESV) 'Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.' This is repeated in some form or fashion in John 14:15, John 14:23, and John 15:10. It is stated very plainly that we show our love for God by being obedient to His Word. Obedience is what the Lord wants from us, not lip service. As a matter of fact, God wants obedience over everything even sacrifice. In the book of 1 Samuel 15, King Saul is told "to obey is better than sacrifice". We all can understand this. A simple example of this is when dealing with a teenager for instance, they want to give you what they want (sacrifice) rather than do what you ask them to do (obedience). To show true love towards God, we must live and act in obedience to His Word.
Second, we must be called according to His purpose and not our own. This is probably the most forgotten on-purpose portion of the scripture. Why, because I want to do what I want to do, and I want God to bless it. It does not work that way! If you are going to go your own way and not follow God and/or His purpose for your life, are you acting in love toward God? The short answer is No. To act in obedience to His Word takes sacrifice on our part, that is why the Word tells us to become a living sacrifice for Jesus. For the scripture in Romans 8:28 to be alive and active in our lives from God, 1) We must 'love' God 2) and carry out His purpose in our life.
My Thoughts:
Awesome scripture in my opinion with a promise from God that things will eventually work out on your behalf. But it will take you doing your part for this scripture to become realized in your life. I am not sure if you noticed or not that it requires you to be all in to truly follow God. No one can ride the fence and become the son or daughter the good Lord asks you to be without being all in.
Challenge:
Challenge yourself to pray and read God's Word on a daily basis. As you start to understand it, start acting out on what it says. Then you will truly see the blessing of the Word of God in your life.
Prayer:
Ask your Heavenly Father to help you to understand His Word and give you the wisdom and understanding needed to act upon it.
Action:
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Take Care Family,
Pastor Charles
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