Tag: Romans 8:28

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The Adversaries d NOT have the last word.

God works to prove Himself

Ezra 4 to 6 and Ps 137 It is just so neat to read these chapters to see the truth of Romans 8:28. The adversaries of the temple workers were so sure their first letter back to the king would settle the matter, and all would return to normal “but God.” This reminds us of Prov 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.” We see the evidence of that when the new king is asked to scour the scrolls of Cyrus once again, and there it was—in plain black and white: let the captive/exiles rebuild the temple so they can pray to God for my sons and me. Another Romans 8:28 story!

Satan is the master deceiver and accuser of the brethren. His primary purpose is to distract God’s people and keep God’s Word from being proclaimed, and he almost succeeded. Praise God for faithful prophets like Haggai and Zechariah, who arrived in Jerusalem at just the right moment.

Where have you seen the hand of God in your life? Where has God turned what the enemy wants to use to distract and destroy only to see his plan foiled? Give God the praise!

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Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Choice–BUT God gets the glory!

Psalm 71 God – Have you ever experienced a situation when it seems that God is totally unequivocally silent? That is where we are finding David as he pleads for God to rescue him. He is saying, where are you, God? Don’t you see what is happening to me? Like him we beg God to rescue us, forgetting that sometimes we are in the mess in which we find ourselves is our own doing. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time and made the wrong choice.

Ps 71 wrong2ab

Case in point: Moses thinking the Hebrews would welcome his intervention into their lives. Wrong place: watching his people toil in the hot sun to satisfy a Pharaoh’s quest for honor. Wrong time: why wasn’t Moses taking care of palace business? Wrong choice: seeing an Egyptian beating an Israelite he stepped in to help and the next thing he knew that man was murdered by his hand.

Or, how about David’s sin with Bathsheba? Wrong place: on the palace veranda instead of in the field with his army. Wrong time: evening when bathing takes place. Wrong choice: get that woman for me.

With Moses, God sent him into the desert for 40 yrs. learning how to tend the most humble and stupid animal, the sheep. With David, God sent him the prophet Nathan to tell him a story about a tender sheep being taken from a poor man. Interesting how many times God uses the sheep as an illustration!

Yet, even when we make horribly bad choices, God will use them to bring about His work because front and center we are his children. (Romans 8:28) “know that all things work together for good for those who love God.”  He will use us in our worst moments to bring about His good and His perfect plan because in eternity past He knew and yet His lovingkindness will take those and turn them on their head.

Where can you look at your past and see yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time making the wrong choice? What did God do with all of that for His kingdom work?

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Jacob’s Love Gift

cup of love2aGenesis 47-50  One thing children need is a loving hug, a touch, and words of affirmation. Joseph had all of that until his unfortunate incident with his brothers and then it was off to Egypt and prison. But, that early childhood upbringing, although seen as favoritism by his brothers, was one of the reasons Joseph was able to face the trauma in Egypt.

As we study the lives of children who have been mistreated, over and over we see that the early formative years either protect them in hard circumstances or they falter and even sometimes break. Joseph weathered the storm with grace. He could have flaunted his high position and brought severe consequences upon his brothers for what they had done to him, but he didn’t. Could it have been that he not only understood the principle of Romans 8:28 which says “all things work together for good to them that love the Lord” but also Joseph was able to draw from his cup of love Jacob had filled.

Children are not only our heritage but a precious gift from God and Jacob knew that and why he spent over and abundantly upon this child of promise. Jacob only knew this: he loved Joseph. As a parent, we only know that giving of the cup of love to a child from the very first endears them to our heart. But it also becomes a reservoir to help them in times of need.

Think about that as you are raising your children. Be sure they know that they are loved, cherished, and cared for from the first to the last. Each child needs that precious gift only a parent can give.

Have you offered the cup of love to a child today?

 

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