No Matter What, I Win

"All things work together for good..." Romans 8:28 is a frequently quoted, frequently preached passage of Scripture. Unfortunately, it's often made to sound as though when something bad happens to one of His children, God nudges one of the angels and says "You know, Bob (for example) had a bad day. Let's turn his lemons into lemonade."

That's a nice thought, and occasionally it seems to work that way, but that really isn't at all what Romans 8:28 is about. In context, this passage tells us the mystery of what He is up to long term. In fact, He's so determined that the mystery of what He's up to will happen that He uses three very powerful words to describe His determination. In the next couple of verses, He says that you are Called to this mystery, you are Predestined for this mystery, and you are Foreknown for this mystery. In my mind, the words He chooses make this much more than a promise. He is flat out stating a fact: I WILL do this.

Take a deep breath, because this mystery is stunning in its simplicity and almost beyond belief in its extravagance. It is totally over-the-top and unimaginably incredible. Now, what is the mystery that He's going to do?

More Than Forgiveness!

Have you ever noticed that when you pick up a coin, you pick up both sides? You can't pick up just the head's side, you can't pick up just get the tail's side. It's the same with being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

The head's side of the disciple's coin is God's forgiveness. His forgiveness is ours for the asking, based on what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. But if God's plan stopped there -- and it doesn't!...but if it did -- leaving me unchanged, I would go through eternity being forgiven but miserable because I'd still be the same old me in the midst of a beautifully holy heaven.

That's why the tail's side of the disciple's coin is there. The tail's side is God's transformation, kick-started by repentance. The tail's side finishes the process started by the head's side. The tail's side is an inseparable part of the bargain. If you've really taken the coin, total transformation has already started, even though there's still a very long way to go.

Dreams of Love

Sometimes, even the strongest of us need to be reminded that we are not alone. So remember this: Whatever else is going on in this physical, human realm, God is always closer to you than you are to yourself. That's a line from A.W. Tozer, and it's always stuck with me. It's an amazing statement and it's absolutely true.

Think about it. He is always closer to you than you are to yourself.

Now recognize that He also arranges for some of His children to think about you, pray for you, miss you, love you, and crave His very best for you. You are not alone, though you may feel lonely.