Does God really work good for all?

'We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose' Romans 8:28

This verse is used all the time. People quote it. They believe that if a person is in Jesus, then God must work all things for good towards him, because all things that come from Jesus are good things. This is true, but there is more to it. If a person doesn't have the right understanding then this verse can actually cause a lot of damage because what happens when a Christian is sick, suffering and heart broken? Does that reflect a person's faith and relationship with God? God works all things for those who love him, according to his purpose. It is interesting, because in this passage that Paul writes to the Romans, and they all would have gone through immense suffering. The Christians in Rome had just previously been displaced, there was dissension between the people. Paul had gone through trial, suffering and persecution continually. Yet Paul states that God works for good for those who love God. God's purpose for Paul was to reach the Gentiles... and through that process, Paul was pretty beaten up. Does that mean God lost control and wasn't watching over Paul whilst he was going through suffering to preach the gospel? Deffo not. Yet Paul saw something beyond his present life, and he knew that whatever he went through in this life was relative compared to the future hope and goodness that is promised. Looking to other people in the Bible; Jeremiah and Ezekiel both had extremely hard lives without seeing much results from their faithfulness. Moses had to lead a bunch of complaining, ungrateful Israelites through the desert for 40 years. and ultimately Jesus went through all suffering, the most painful kind (though he did rise again ! yay!). Does that mean that God hated those people, or left them because they lived through unceasing pain? nope !!! 

Through SBS one of the most helpful things I have learned is that the time we are living in is still a broken time. People are still selfish. The promise for eternal life is here through Jesus, yet he hasn't come again yet and so we are still stuck here until he comes back / until we die. He has given us the power through the Holy Spirit to have authority, yet it isn't the fullness of what it will be. And therefore we are stuck in a time called the 'age of tension'. That is why some people are healed of sickness and other's aren't. That is why there are tragedies and traumas and sufferings happening. It's not because God has lost control. It's because the world is fallen, ultimately that people are choosing their own selfishness over love for the next person. And so, then that shows that no matter the circumstances, God's love and power isn't defined by them. That has given me so much peace!! That no matter the pain, heart break or confusion, God's love isn't defined by that. He is constant and doesn't change and that's a good thing!! 

Anyways.. I think this verse can be used all the time, to make us feel better. We think that if we are Christians, God must make everything happy and positive in our lives, because it's promised here right?! Well not really. God's purpose often looks different than we think, but also God's goodness looks different to what we think. In this verse we often think that God's goodness means physical and material blessings. Really this statement is something so much deeper. And to see that one must have the understanding that God's goodness is different to our sinful and selfish version of goodness. (And pls don't think I'm trying to say that lives suck and God doesn't want to give good things because that's not what I'm saying. But rather we need to get the right perspective, expectations and understanding of what the Bible is really saying). God's goodness is the eternal love he has for us, it's the sacrifice of himself for our selfishness and it's the resurrection into eternal life he has promised for all people who believe in him. When one really understands that goodness, it changes everything. 

I have had that realisation only recently. I finally understood, and physically felt the weight of my sin. It was horrible. And by sin I mean all of my selfishness, my past failures, my possible future failures. It was to the point of wanting punishment because I knew how much of a wretch I was. I'd hurt people and that was wrong. Learning about how Jesus died and took on that punishment so that we don't have to really did blow me away. It didn't seem fair or right, because he took on what wasn't deserved, and we who did deserve punishment get to be free. It's taken me a while / still is taking me a while to accept and understand it. And that friends is the beauty and wonder of the gospel !!!!! There is literally nothing that can be done to attain it. No works, no meditation, no self-punishment, nothing except faith in Jesus can make one free and make one clean !!!! It's so simple and so pure but also so complex and to continually understand more of the beauty of it is amazing ! 

Needless to say, my conclusion with Romans 8:28 is that God's gifts of goodness, the hope of eternal glory, is what God works together for us. He may call us all to different areas of life, some comfortable, and some not necessarily nice. He may call some people to other nations to be missionaries, or others to be stay at home parents, or others to work at businesses. No occupation is superior to another. Yet in the midst of it, during bad days, don't fear God's abandonment, because you think that this verse means that it must be good since you're in Christ. No; there will be good days and wonderful blessings because God is generous. However, the good that he gives is salvation and eternal life. This really is good ! And if you don't see it as that good or enough then I implore you to ask for revelation to see the beauty of the gospel. It really is life changing! 

Through this understanding, I see that ... 'neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else' (Romans 8:38-39) ... can separate us from the love of God. That neither good days or bad days can separate us. Our circumstances don't define who God is. Life is still hard because this world is still broken, but God didn't fail and he hasn't lost control. Rather, people are still selfish and bitter. Realising this has brought so much peace as I don't have to keep working to attain good things but all good things have already come through Jesus. So yes, God does work for good for all who love Him, who are called according to his purpose. Yet this promise is so much more than this life, so much more than material blessings and having a comfortable and happy life. This promise is pointing towards the future eternal life, and that no matter that the 'purpose' is for each of us, he still offers that 'good' to us in the midst of it. 

a little love

----------- Current events ----------

SBS is hard. People call it the School of Biblical Studies but it should be more accurately quoted as the School of Biblical Sobbing 

However it's the moments of light and truth in the midst of the relentless work that keeps me going. Just when I am about to give up because I still have 5 more charts to fit in in an evening, something stirs in me and reminds me why I'm here (sometimes, lets be real).

We have been studying Acts and Luke and it's the best. I've come to the conclusion that all leadership and discipleship courses should come based off of Acts and the gospels. They lived and loved so simply and that's what produced great leaders and also great disciples. They feared God and served one another. They provided for one another's needs when ever they could. They also just hung out and ate meals together (honestly my fave bit). They prayed together, encouraged each other and made sure to keep in contact with all people who they have influenced or help to grow. They were faithful to preach the story of Jesus and through that they saw signs and wonders, not the other way around. They were told to love ALL people, ALL genders, ALL races. 

It's been so cool to read Matthew, Luke and Acts with knowledge of the historical background. Knowing why the emphasis on the resurrection and the Kingdom of God is so necessary (things I had never thought about before). 

In Matthew the biggest thing that hit me was how Jesus would take time away from the crowds to pray, or because he was grieving, and yet when the people came to him he still was compassionate. and my response as an introvert is noooooo ! lol but for real I'm so impressed and amazed at such gentle love. One of the biggest things that I have learned is that no matter the sadness or pain or anxiety or distractions I am facing, there is always room to love a little. Whether it's asking someone how they are, buying a coffee for someone, cleaning up more than I should, etc. Going the extra mile. Especially when I am DONEEE after working all day. It's just one little verse in Matthew 14:13-14 

'When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this the crowds followed him on food from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.'

Jesus' actions are the physical reality of what God would do, and so reading that I realised I have no more excuses ! The reality and evidence of if a person loves God or not is their actions. A heart full of love and understanding of the grace of God will naturally produce actions of love. Through that revelation that I had in Matthew I realised how I have so much to grow in in that department. Definitely a struggle ! But that's ok, God knows humans are flawed and in need of grace which is why the sacrifice of Jesus is so beautiful ! There is no other religion or belief in the world where God himself came down and sacrificed himself for human kind ! Only perfection and a self-sacrifice of free will can overcome the intensity of darkness in the world. Instead of man having to strive and work for God's approval (as so many believe) it's not true ! God did everything! All he asks is for us to come to him, and let him heal us and make us whole. 

Jesus grieved, David had deep depression and anxiety, Jeremiah wished he had never been born, Abraham and Zechariah both had great doubts and unbelief about the promises they'd received.  Realising the people in the Bible were just normal humans gives me much relief. In life there are struggles. But the most important thing isn't to become guilty and anxious about not reading the Bible enough or not attending church or not praying specifically for a certain amount of time. What is important is loving God and loving and serving people. It really is just in the little things and the little acts of service that can make a person's day. (This being said I am a firm believer in getting help for yourself if you are really struggling with tasks and general activities. Love your neighbour as YOURSELF. Love yo' self, and don't be afraid to look after yourself.) Friends had to carry a paralysed man to Jesus because he was unable to carry himself. Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to be carried by others to the feet of Jesus to become whole again. Sometimes we need to carry others. 

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You know, Lord, How I serve You

With great emotional fervor

in the limelight

you know how eagerly I speak for you 

At the Women's club

You know how I effervesce when I promote

A fellowship group

You know my genuine enthusiasm 

At a Bible study

But how would I react, I wonder,

If you pointed to a basin of water

and asked me to wash the calloused feet

of a bent and wrinkled old woman

day after day

month after month

in a room where nobody saw

and nobody knew

- Ruth Harms Calkin