Just Another Day's Journey

As I am strolling through peeking in on my friends on Facebook, a friend posted a piece of one of my favorite scriptures, Romans 8:28. “All things.” That is all that he posted. My fingers almost tripped over themselves as I typed my response. “That means the good and the bad…”

Those words were borrowed by a guest minister from my church recently but I felt like God wanted me to hear them again. See I was so busy meditating on Jeremiah 29:11 for my life right now that I had forgotten the promise of Romans 8:28. I knew in my heart that God knew the plans for my life. That He would prosper me and not harm me but I had to first believe that my past mistakes would not keep me from that promise.

My past and present sins after confession and repentance would not keep me from the promise; that it would still work together for good. I have been so busy trying to picture what good would look like after my many mistakes that I forgot that I was not in control of that. My only job was to believe it to be true and be obedient to what God was telling me.

I had to learn to be obedient despite how I think people will receive me knowing that I am not as perfect as I thought or how some of them thought I was.

Paul’s reminder to the Romans was one of a personal testimony. He was a former accuser of the Christians. He was apart of the crowd that had beaten and jailed anyone who believed that the prophecy had been fulfilled but then God met him on the side of the road to Damascus and forever changed his life.

Paul knew personally that ALL things work together for the good of them that love the Lord. He had a rough start to his ministry with some not believing he had changed but that did not let that keep him from doing what God had called him to do. He kept preaching salvation and that Jesus was the only way despite the fact that he had just finished preaching the opposite just a few short months before. Then even when he was finally accepted it was his turn to be beaten and jailed. He never turned his back on his beliefs and looked at his past to say he was not worthy.

He recognized that God’s #perfectlove would be revealed through his obedience. Paul understood that his sacrifice was not about him but about God. It worked out for the good. Your past choices are not a factor to God’s #perfectlove for you. He loves you and wants all of you past, present and future. There is someone waiting to hear your story of overcoming and knowing victory is possible for them, too.

Just another day’s journey of remembering that with God the good and bad really does work out for the good. Peace.