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It Is All Good

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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.
(Romans 8:28)

I have a friend in ministry who has a wonderful habit of invariably finishing a conversation especially when talking of difficult problems or people with the words, "It is all good." His words are based on the wonderful promise of Paul in Romans 8:28 where those loved by God are reminded that God is actively working all things in their lives together for their good. The things themselves may not be good such as temptation, grief, monetary loss, indecision, persecution or sickness but God orchestrates them all in such a way that they prove beneficial both temporally and eternally. The good in this case must be defined on God's terms not ours, and is fundamentally tied to that which enhances our reliance upon God and our likeness to Christ. After all God's goal is to bring us to perfection in His presence (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 5:27; Jude 24). The big take away then from this verse is that nothing can touch or threaten our lives that lie outside the scope of our heavenly Father's providential care. Even the bad can be good for us as Joseph lived to learn (Gen. 50:20). By faith we must come to see that our troubles in the end are nothing but severe mercies.

The late Reformed theologian John Gerstner said that there were four categories of things. Firstly, there was the good good which speaks of those things which conform to God's law both in action and motive. Secondly, there was the bad good which speaks of righteous actions that are animated by impure motives. Thirdly, there was the bad bad which speaks of unmitigated evil. Fourthly, there was the bad good which speaks of things that do not conform to God's law or perfect will but are redeemed nonetheless in the providence of God. We are talking about God's ability to bring good out of the evil we experience. The bad things remain bad but they are only proximately bad because God is able to turn them given time into blessings in disguise.

There is always an upside to down in God's kingdom. That is why the end of a thing can be better than the beginning for the Christian (Eccles. 7:8). Therefore we need to cultivate patience in the midst of our trials in the knowledge that God is actively working on our behalf to bring us to a better day (Rom. 5:3-5). Give God time to move you beyond the times you are in to better times (Eccles. 3:11). Above all we must give God our trust, and fight the temptation to question his goodness (Job 13:15). We must trust the heart of God even when we cannot trace the hand of God. C. H. Spurgeon once said: “Everything that happens to you is for your own good . . . You gain by loss, you grow healthy in sickness, you live by dying, and you are made rich in losses . . . It is better that all things should work for my good than all things should be as I wish to have them.” Every cloud is silver lined with God’s providence! Remember, it's all good!

Lord as I learn to trust You more each day and the way You work in my life, may I honor You with my response to the circumstances and conditions that are subject to Your providence. May these days increase my dependence on You and the work being accomplished. Amen