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All
things work together for good to those that love God
One of the
first passages I read when I started to study the Bible, was Romans
8:28. There it says:
Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God"
Two things I would like to point out
here:
i) This passage is addressed to those
that love God. If therefore you love God it is addressed TO YOU as well.
ii) According to this passage ALL
THINGS, i.e. everything that has happened, happens or will happen, WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD to those that love Him. The phrase "work
TOGETHER" implies the combined work of more than one member. Even
if one of these was missing, this "working together"
would be incomplete. In other words, EVERYTHING in the life of a man
that loves God IS NECESSARY for the good, since it is the combined work
of ALL that give it. As we read in Proverbs 12:21:
Proverbs 12:21
"There shall no evil happen to the righteous"
(KJV-NKJV)
As the
Companion Bible translates it: "Nothing in vain shall happen to the
righteous". Nothing in the life of a man that loves God is evil,
random, or vain. In contrast, EVERYTHING, even those things that we do
not accept pleasantly, is a part of God's recipe for the good. It is not
accidental that the Word says: "All that want to live godly will be
persecuted" (II Timothy 3:12) and "many are the afflictions of
the righteous" (Psalms 34:19) while at the same time states that
"there shall no evil happen" to him, thus implying that even
the afflictions are NOT evil or vain. Also, it is not accidental that it
says:
Ephesians 5:20
"Giving thanks always for ALL THINGS
to God even the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"
[NKJV-The Companion Bible]
And I Thessalonians 5:18
"IN EVERYTHING give thanks; for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you"
[NKJV-KJV]
God tells us to
thank Him in EVERYTHING. We usually thank someone for his part in
something that concerns us. Many of us deny to thank God in EVERYTHING,
for the simple reason that we do not believe that God has a part in
EVERYTHING. But as His Word says:
Lamentations 3:37-38
"Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
when the Lord has not commanded it?"
Even the
devil cannot go beyond the boundaries that the Lord has set. In Job 1-2
we see that he couldn't try Job without having a permission, and he
couldn't go beyond this permission. In Luke 22:31 we see that in order
to "sift [the disciples] as wheat", he had to ASK first
[Greek: "exaiteo", "to obtain by asking" (see
ftn.1). See also NIV, The Interlinear Bible etc.] In John we see
that he couldn't touch Jesus because "his hour had not yet
come" (John 7:30, 8:20). In I Corinthians 10:13 we see that we will
not "be tempted beyond what we are able", not because the
devil does not want it, but because "GOD [who] is faithful will not
allow us". In Matthew 4:1 we see that it was "BY THE
SPIRIT" (i.e. God) that Jesus was led up into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil. When Job said "Shall we accept good from God,
and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job
2:10), the
Scripture says "Job did NOT sin with his lips". When he said:
"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; BLESSED BE THE
NAME OF THE LORD" (Job 1:21) he again spoke the truth:
"In all this JOB DID NOT SIN NOR CHARGE GOD WITH WRONG" (Job
1:22). What Job said was RIGHT AND ACCURATE.
If you wonder
why you are still unemployed, or why you are still alone, or why you
haven't been healed, or why the such and such happened, do what the
righteous Job did: GLORIFY THE LORD FOR THESE. For "ALL THINGS WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD." What you now may
consider as infliction, it is NECESSARY FOR THE GOOD. Otherwise, be sure
you wouldn't have it. Glorify the Lord and trust Him. THANK HIM IN ALL
THINGS. You may consider some of them as "evil" but we just
saw it: "There shall no evil happen to the righteous" and YOU
ARE RIGHTEOUS (Romans 3:21-26).
As Paul said in a similar situation:
II Corinthians 12:7-10
"And lest I should be made haughty by the abundance
of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of
Satan to buffet me, that I not be made haughty. Concerning this thing I
pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He
said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is
made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather
boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then
I am strong." (NKJV-Interlinear Bible)
Paul BOASTED in
his infirmities. The reproaches, the needs, the persecutions and the
distresses were for him but opportunities through which he saw the power
of the Lord. The "thorn in the flesh", didn't come all alone.
IT WAS GIVEN TO HIM, so that he not be haughty. Certainly, that thorn
was painful and he wanted to get rid of it, yet it prevented him from
haughtiness. Paul might have wondered going third time to the Lord, why
the previous two times his prayer was not answered. We may also not
understand why some of our prayers were answered immediately, while
others NOT, even though we devoted much heart and time to them. However,
we are not asked to understand BUT RATHER TO BELIEVE. To believe that
since we love God, all things work together for good. As He says:
Isaiah 55:8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are
your ways My ways," says the Lord. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts"
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an
expected end." (NKJV-KJV)
And Romans 1:17
"The just shall live BY FAITH"
What we need to
live is FAITH. We need to trust Him and be surrendered to Him
completely. It is not necessary our will to be done. What is necessary
is HIS WILL to be done, for it is much higher than ours.
1. "All things
work together for good to those that love God": Some examples
We will see now
some examples regarding what we just read. To start we will go to
Philippians 1:12-18. There we read:
Philippians 1:12-18
"But I want you to know, brethren, that the
things which happened to me have actually turned
out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become
evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains
are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord,
having become confident by my chain, are much more bold to speak
the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy
and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from
selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my
chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the
defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether
in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes,
and will rejoice."
Paul was in the
prison. "Naturally" speaking one would expect that his time
there would be unproductive for the gospel. But see what he says:
"the things which happened to me have actually turned out FOR THE
FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL" and "most of the brethren in the
Lord, having become confident by my chain, are MUCH MORE bold to speak
the word without fear". Not only Paul's chains were not a hindrance
to the gospel but they also worked for ITS FURTHERANCE. They really
became the power for a bolder proclamation of the Word of God by the
other brethren. It may appear as negative for the gospel that Paul was
in prison but it was not. In contrast, it had positive effects on it as
it worked for its furtherance. The same effect had also his presence in
the same place - i.e. in prison - but in Philippi this time. Really, in
Acts 16:22-25 we read:
Acts 16:22-25
"Then the multitude rose up together against them
[Paul and Silas]; and the magistrates tore off their clothes, and
commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid
many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the
jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them
into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
prisoners were listening to them."
Paul and Silas
were not arguing with God about their situation, but THEY WERE PRAYING
AND SINGING TO HIM. Because of their stand, all the prisoners heard the
Word of God that night, spoken via these hymns and prayers. Would have
they ever heard it, had no-one been there to speak it to them? I don't
think so. But let's read further:
Acts 16:26-34
"Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors
were opened, and everyone's chains were loosed. And the keeper of the
prison, awaking from sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, supposing
the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we
are all here. Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down
trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out, and said,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they
spoke the Word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And
he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes; and
immediately he and all his family were baptized. And when he had brought
them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having
believed in God with all his household."
Would
have all these ever happened if Paul and Silas were not imprisoned?
Would we ever see the prison keeper and his family in heaven, had not
Paul and Silas been there? I don’t think so. We hear
"prison" and we say "evil", yet His thoughts are not
our thoughts but immeasurably higher than ours.
2. Conclusion
From the above, that in no way exhaust
the subject (see
ftn.2), we can conclude that if we love God, whatever may happen in
our lives, pleasant or unpleasant, work together for good. Many get
disappointed and offended when "tribulation or persecution arises
because of the word" (Matthew 13:21). However even the tribulations
and the trials, WORK ALSO FOR GOOD, if we love God.
Romans 5:3
"And not only that but we also glory in
tribulations, knowing that tribulation PRODUCES patience"
II Corinthians 4:17
"For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, IS WORKING FOR US a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory"
James 1:2-4
"My brethren COUNT IT ALL JOY when you fall into
various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith
PRODUCES patience. But let patience have its perfect
work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (NKJV-KJV)
Hebrews 5:8
"though he [speaking of Christ] was a Son yet he
learned obedience BY the things which he suffered"
The afflictions
are "WORKING FOR US". They work patience. They work eternal
glory. They work obedience. Nothing in the life of a man that loves God
is random or vain. In contrast, "ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD
TO THOSE THAT LOVE HIM".
Tassos Kioulachoglou
Footnotes
1.
See "The Companion Bible", p. 1501. (return
where you stoped)
2.
For more example see Joseph, Ruth Esther and Mordocai, Daniel, to
refer just a few that came now into my mind. (return
where you stoped)
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