What will the New Year hold?

Friday, January 5, 2018

All things work together for good

for those who love the Lord

and are called according to His purpose. 

Romans 8:28

It’s good to reflect on where we’ve been and on the various things we’ve been through. In fact I highly encourage it. Make a column for the good things — the blessings — that last year held. And make a column for the bad things — the tough things — the difficult things we don’t quite understand. 

Then take some time to reflect on each of the entries. Thank God for each of them. Yes, thank Him even for the hard stuff. 

And think about the above Scripture. What are the first two words? “ALL things.” Not SOME things. Not a FEW things. But ALL things. 

And what do “all things” do? They work together for good. They don’t stand alone. They are intertwined with other things for the purpose of bringing about good. 

Who’s good? Although this passage doesn’t specifically spell out the answer to this question, I propose it is for (1) God’s good first and therefore for (2) the good of people.

But it does specify WHICH people benefit from “all things.” 

(1) those who love the Lord

(2) those who are called according to His purpose

I’d venture to say that the majority of my readers are believers. You’d need to do a little soul searching here to determine how well you fit into these two groups. But if you truly love the Lord and are striving to do His will then “all things” applies to you. 

So as you contemplate all the positive and negative things that happened last year, consider how God has used or will use them to bring glory to His name. It may be too soon and you might not be able to see it quite yet. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Anticipate it. And embrace the fact that, in the end, the bad things actually become blessings. 

And as this new year unfolds, know that there will be more difficulties and more blessings to come. Just remember that ALL of them will work for good — God’s good— provided we stay in His will. 

Father, thank you for all the ways you blessed us last year. We look forward to what you have in store for us in 2018! 

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