Resting In Him
July 31st, 2005, 02:51 AM
Concerning Romans 8:28
In the genuine Christian experience, nothing is more important than faith. No matter our circumstance, regardless of our station in life, whether one is a great world leader or an inmate in a dank prison, God has us where He needs us to be. Perhaps He wants us to learn some particular lesson, or maybe He has someone with whom we will come in contact who will respond to our particular ministry. Whatever the case, we must trust that God loves us and is doing only good things in our lives. By worldly standards, our circumstances might seem tragic. Reason might suggest that we should live our lives in shame and misery on account of the conditions in which we find ourselves. One Christian might find himself in quite a serendipitous situation without ever having done anything to arrive there. Another might be disabled or imprisoned on account of some foul deed with which he has been occupied. Whatever the state of our existence, we ought to rejoice in the certainty that all things do indeed work together for our good, according to God’s purposes. It was this certainty that made it possible for Paul to say, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me” (Phil 4:12-13). Faith sees through our circumstance to the promises of God. Even chastening, when viewed at last through eyes of faith, can be a cause for rejoicing. There is not a moment in the life of any Christian that cannot be a cause for rejoicing when faith enters the heart and mind of the believer.
http://www.christianchronicles.org/archive_Jun05.htm
In the genuine Christian experience, nothing is more important than faith. No matter our circumstance, regardless of our station in life, whether one is a great world leader or an inmate in a dank prison, God has us where He needs us to be. Perhaps He wants us to learn some particular lesson, or maybe He has someone with whom we will come in contact who will respond to our particular ministry. Whatever the case, we must trust that God loves us and is doing only good things in our lives. By worldly standards, our circumstances might seem tragic. Reason might suggest that we should live our lives in shame and misery on account of the conditions in which we find ourselves. One Christian might find himself in quite a serendipitous situation without ever having done anything to arrive there. Another might be disabled or imprisoned on account of some foul deed with which he has been occupied. Whatever the state of our existence, we ought to rejoice in the certainty that all things do indeed work together for our good, according to God’s purposes. It was this certainty that made it possible for Paul to say, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me” (Phil 4:12-13). Faith sees through our circumstance to the promises of God. Even chastening, when viewed at last through eyes of faith, can be a cause for rejoicing. There is not a moment in the life of any Christian that cannot be a cause for rejoicing when faith enters the heart and mind of the believer.
http://www.christianchronicles.org/archive_Jun05.htm