What good is it?
What good is it? Ever ask that of yourself? Ever look around you and question why you try, why you care, or even what good it is to try to do right or to do what you know God wants you to do? I think we all have, to be totally honest! This morning, as I read the Bible, I sat thinking about this. I'll be honest! I have done that. There are times we struggle... whether it be financially, physical health, desires... that list can go on and on for every one of us! Then I see someone who's never gave much effort or has lived a life of doing nothing but everything against God... and they appear to be blessed or to have it all... A little jealousy sets in... right? Then you start to look at yourself and your own life and wonder why on earth you try so hard every day...
Then I'm tripped up... my favorite line is God's got this... but I can stray from that! How easily I can stray from that! Then this morning, I asked God... what is it you want me to read today. Romans 8:28 came to my mind. It says, "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."
Hmmm... ouch! Another moment that I realize that following in God's plan... living out what he has asked of me! It doesn't matter what my neighbor, my friend, my family member, coworker (insert any one else you may think of...) walk through or deal with! GOD promises to work everything out for the good!
Going on in vs. 31, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies"
Wow!!! You know, when we walk in that path... living daily as the son or the daughter that God has chosen, we have NOTHING to worry about or fear! We have no reason to think that life isn't going to be OK.
Honestly, I look at my own life and so many many times, people say to me "I simply don't know how you do it!" Just the other day, we sat in an appointment. The doctor realized that I had been sick and in the hospital. This is a doctor that sees all the medical on paper. Sees the tests. Sees the outcome of this. Sees how truly sick and hard things can get around here. This doctor looks at my husband, with shock on her face, says to him, "How did you get through it alone? How did you manage?" Life gets TOUGH around here. These are the times we ask, "Why God?" and we ourselves question if we have the strength to manage! BUT, God always has it! He always has a plan! Even before I got sick, God KNEW it was coming... looking back, we see his hand across the board! We see that we said, "Alright, we are in this!" and he worked all things for the good... MAYBE not what we see as good, but for HIS good.... He took care of every need through finances that were a surprise, through family working hard to help in different ways, and through ways we couldn't have imagined... why? We stood fast and we loved him... so he had it! HE had it right in his hand.... was it easy? NOPE! But we made it and God took care of the mos important details.
I think that's the life lesson He has been teaching me lately. Sometimes, I look at the little picture... the picture that this mommy thinks it should be... and I forget that there is HIS picture too! His is much bigger than my own. And I stop and think... I can't do this... this is too much... again.... BUT!!!! If GOD is for us.... he will work all things for the good because WE LOVE HIM!!! Yep! That's right! He works it out. He takes care of us! He protects us. He gets us through every single trial! God is there....
Again, I go back to God's intimacy... Look close at vs. 31 up there that we just read... "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all - How will he not also along with him graciously give us all things..." The God who gave up his son... for WHO???? For me... for you... for every person you could imagine... even those unthinkable in your mind!!!! The God who LOVED you and me so passionately that he saw fit to give us an out to our ugly selves! The God who chose to see enough value in you, to give you a way to be near him, to be forgiven, to live chosen and called out.... YEP! That God! He's the one that sees every day and when we choose to love him... He will work things out for the good of us! Because.... WE ARE HIS!
Too many times, I've heard people say that they are going to get that house, the vehicle, the "whatever" they feel they deserve because of this verse. I mean it does say, "graciously give us all things"... but this isn't what God means... I mean, what are possessions anyways? When you die, what good are they? Will people remember you for what you had? Will you leave a legacy of, "The man who had it all?" And even if you had it all... what good is that memory? It's nothing... it's a status! but at the end of the day... you are really left with nothing because your heart is empty... possessions aren't what make us... they aren't what bring us joy... However, belonging does!
I go on to vs. 36-38, "As it is written, 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
At the end of the day... that's what we have. That's what he gives us! He gives us a place of belonging. He gives us love. He gives us peace of knowing that no matter what... NOTHING could take us away from him. So, when life is tough... when it feels like needs aren't being met... when we think we are to the total end of ourselves... we can remember that we love him and HE WILL work out all things for the good because we love him. And when all else fails... when life seems at its worst... We have the joy and the peace of knowing... We have a papa... a heavenly father who gave up what was most precious to him so that we could have a place near him... a love that can't be quenched by anything... and a devotion that can never be separated.... what good is it? Pretty stinking GOOD because at the end of the day... we are loved and we are HIS!
Then I'm tripped up... my favorite line is God's got this... but I can stray from that! How easily I can stray from that! Then this morning, I asked God... what is it you want me to read today. Romans 8:28 came to my mind. It says, "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."
Hmmm... ouch! Another moment that I realize that following in God's plan... living out what he has asked of me! It doesn't matter what my neighbor, my friend, my family member, coworker (insert any one else you may think of...) walk through or deal with! GOD promises to work everything out for the good!
Going on in vs. 31, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies"
Wow!!! You know, when we walk in that path... living daily as the son or the daughter that God has chosen, we have NOTHING to worry about or fear! We have no reason to think that life isn't going to be OK.
Honestly, I look at my own life and so many many times, people say to me "I simply don't know how you do it!" Just the other day, we sat in an appointment. The doctor realized that I had been sick and in the hospital. This is a doctor that sees all the medical on paper. Sees the tests. Sees the outcome of this. Sees how truly sick and hard things can get around here. This doctor looks at my husband, with shock on her face, says to him, "How did you get through it alone? How did you manage?" Life gets TOUGH around here. These are the times we ask, "Why God?" and we ourselves question if we have the strength to manage! BUT, God always has it! He always has a plan! Even before I got sick, God KNEW it was coming... looking back, we see his hand across the board! We see that we said, "Alright, we are in this!" and he worked all things for the good... MAYBE not what we see as good, but for HIS good.... He took care of every need through finances that were a surprise, through family working hard to help in different ways, and through ways we couldn't have imagined... why? We stood fast and we loved him... so he had it! HE had it right in his hand.... was it easy? NOPE! But we made it and God took care of the mos important details.
I think that's the life lesson He has been teaching me lately. Sometimes, I look at the little picture... the picture that this mommy thinks it should be... and I forget that there is HIS picture too! His is much bigger than my own. And I stop and think... I can't do this... this is too much... again.... BUT!!!! If GOD is for us.... he will work all things for the good because WE LOVE HIM!!! Yep! That's right! He works it out. He takes care of us! He protects us. He gets us through every single trial! God is there....
Again, I go back to God's intimacy... Look close at vs. 31 up there that we just read... "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all - How will he not also along with him graciously give us all things..." The God who gave up his son... for WHO???? For me... for you... for every person you could imagine... even those unthinkable in your mind!!!! The God who LOVED you and me so passionately that he saw fit to give us an out to our ugly selves! The God who chose to see enough value in you, to give you a way to be near him, to be forgiven, to live chosen and called out.... YEP! That God! He's the one that sees every day and when we choose to love him... He will work things out for the good of us! Because.... WE ARE HIS!
Too many times, I've heard people say that they are going to get that house, the vehicle, the "whatever" they feel they deserve because of this verse. I mean it does say, "graciously give us all things"... but this isn't what God means... I mean, what are possessions anyways? When you die, what good are they? Will people remember you for what you had? Will you leave a legacy of, "The man who had it all?" And even if you had it all... what good is that memory? It's nothing... it's a status! but at the end of the day... you are really left with nothing because your heart is empty... possessions aren't what make us... they aren't what bring us joy... However, belonging does!
I go on to vs. 36-38, "As it is written, 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
At the end of the day... that's what we have. That's what he gives us! He gives us a place of belonging. He gives us love. He gives us peace of knowing that no matter what... NOTHING could take us away from him. So, when life is tough... when it feels like needs aren't being met... when we think we are to the total end of ourselves... we can remember that we love him and HE WILL work out all things for the good because we love him. And when all else fails... when life seems at its worst... We have the joy and the peace of knowing... We have a papa... a heavenly father who gave up what was most precious to him so that we could have a place near him... a love that can't be quenched by anything... and a devotion that can never be separated.... what good is it? Pretty stinking GOOD because at the end of the day... we are loved and we are HIS!
Comments
Post a Comment