What We've Been Missing in Romans 8:28.....by Rachel Dawson

 What We've Been Missing in Romans 8:28

by Rachel Dawson

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

When we hear Bible verses about things working “for the good,” it’s easy to feel happy and warm and satisfied. They’re talking about good things! Good things for us! Those good things we’ve been wanting or working toward or longing for… right?

Not exactly.

Romans 8:28 is a classic, popular example of a verse like this: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Okay, so we love God, and then things are good for us? Actually, this verse actually goes much deeper than that. We’ve been getting it all wrong.

Here are three important takeaways from this verse that offer us so much more:

1. The “good” this verse talks about isn’t necessarily what we might think is good. Our American culture is one that highly values getting what we want and getting it when we want it. That’s what the world would call “good” -- getting exactly what your heart desires on the exact time frame you envision with zero complications and a nice big bow on top. The “good” referred to in this verse, however, is not our idea of good, but God’s. His purposes and plans for our lives are far greater than we could ever comprehend, and He knows what is best for us as we grow and become more like Christ in our maturity. This verse is not at all promising that we will get whatever we want, but instead giving us the guarantee that God is working for us, knowing what is truly best for us as we grow closer to Him.
2. Our calling is relationship with Him. The first chapter of Romans (read it here!) addresses our calling: it is to be in a loving, belonging relationship with Jesus Christ. It is more than just a simple invitation. We are brought close to Him in a deep and life-changing relationship, which is why Jesus came to earth to die for us. This calling is the whole message of the Gospel! He came to make a way for us to be with Him. So often, we can get off track when it comes to considering our calling-- we might feel like we don’t have one, that we aren’t special enough to be called to do anything important for God’s kingdom, or that our calling is in the past and no longer applies. Verse 28 helps to remind us that our calling is God’s purpose for our lives, and each one of us have a unique purpose that our life is designed to serve to bring glory to God.

1. His ultimate purpose is eternity together. This verse seems vague about “his purpose,” but we know as keep reading in Romans 8 that the end result is glory. It’s the grand finale of a life of faith. It’s why Jesus came, it’s why we’ve been offered such grace and mercy, it’s why He offers us forgiveness of all of our sins, and it’s why He is at work in each of our lives. He wants us to live with Him forever in glorious eternity.

This verse goes against the way our world works and reminds us we aren’t in control at all. It reminds us that there will be things in our lives that we don’t like at all or would never have hoped for-- things we would quickly label as “bad” and not “good” at all. Things might not make any sense to us while we are living on this Earth, but this verse gives us the assurance that the Lord is in control and never unaware of what we’re going through.

No matter how difficult “all things” in our lives might be, we can take comfort knowing that God is at work, orchestrating everything in a way that brings him glory and is for our good, even when it doesn’t feel like it. The glory is coming, and it will be more than worth it all when it does!

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Valuable Pearl..Craig Denison Ministries

 The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Valuable Pearl

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts. He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love. This week we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is. Open your heart and mind to be transformed by the powerful and captivating stories of Jesus.

Scripture:“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44

Devotional:

If you could only have one thing in life, what would it be? Take an honest look at your heart for a minute today. What do you love most? What would you give up everything else for?

Would you believe that your heavenly Father’s answer to those questions is you? That the Creator of the universe loves you most? Would you believe he would give up everything to have relationship with you? I heard a life-changing sermon from Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church in which he proved, by looking at Genesis 2, that God’s greatest desire is relationship with us. After God creates Adam in his own image, God says, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). God brings every created animal before Adam to see if he deems any of them suitable as a helper, and Genesis 2:20 says, “But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” Then without consulting Adam, God puts him to sleep and forms a woman out of his rib. Seeing the woman upon waking, Adam says, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). How did God know Adam would want a woman as his helper? How did God know she would be the desire of his heart? God knew Adam most longed for a bride because Adam was made in God’s image, and God’s greatest desire is for relationship with us, whom the Bible calls his Bride.

Let the truth of God’s heart sink in for a minute. Out of everything else God has created or could have created, he most desires relationship with you. And he so longed for you to know him fully that he sent Jesus to die to make restored relationship possible. God calls us to himself daily with his love. He stands at the door of our heart and knocks, beckoning us with his loving-kindness to simply come and know him.

Once we truly grasp the depth of God’s desire for us, the only true response is to give up everything for him. He laid the foundation for our commitment to him with the greatest single act of love, and he simply waits, beckoning us to respond, living our lives with him as our highest priority. And he doesn’t do so selfishly, but because the absolute best way for us to live our lives is in total commitment to him.

In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus tells a parable explaining this response to God’s unending love. He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” The kingdom of God is the greatest treasure, the pearl of greatest value. Relationship with him is worth our entire lives. Pursuing him with all our heart is the absolute greatest ambition we could have. Paul described this pursuit in Philippians 3:8 when he said, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

So again, reflect on your own heart. What do you value above all else? God’s not angry with you if it truly isn’t him. You see, the truth is that our pursuit of God will only ever match our revelation of his goodness.God knows that if he isn’t truly the greatest desire of your heart, it’s because you don’t fully know how good he is. If you had the full revelation of his love for you, living totally for him wouldn’t even be a choice. So great is the worth of knowing Jesus that as you see him, you will naturally give up everything to know him more.

So, today as you enter into prayer, know the first step in growing in your pursuit of God is acknowledging the posture of your own heart. How strongly do you desire deeper relationship with him? How much would you give up to know him? What do you seek fulfillment in during your free time?

The second step is receiving a fresh revelation of his incredible love for you.Spend time simply encountering his heart. Meditate on the truth that he desires relationship with you above all else. He so greatly enjoys you that he pursues you with all of his focus and energy.

Last, respond to a revelation of his love with your own love. Worship him, adore him, and live for him with your life. You will encounter him in anything you do as worship. He will pour out his presence, favor, and blessing in any area you live out of love for him. Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” And Luke 12:31 promises us, “Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”

Pursue a deeper relationship with your heavenly Father today through prayer. As you live for him and seek his kingdom first, you’ll discover all he has longed to add to your life.           

Guided Prayer:

1. Reflect on your own life. How strongly do you desire deeper relationship with him? How much would you give up to know him? What do you seek fulfillment in during your free time?

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” Psalm 14:2

2. Meditate on the depth of God’s love for you. Receive a fresh revelation of how greatly he enjoys you. Think about the story in Genesis of how God’s greatest desire was relationship with his Bride.

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Hebrews 12:2-3

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:14

3. Respond to God’s love with your own. Spend time simply adoring him. Spend time in solitude sitting with him, encountering his heart, and giving him your own. He paid the highest price for you just to be able have a relationship with him. So take time and be the reward of his sacrifice.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

May we answer the call to live for love with our lives today. May we live in response to this benediction found in Hebrews 12:28:

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

Extended Reading: Philippians 3

Too Much Birthday.....By Laura Bailey

 Too Much Birthday

By Laura Bailey

"Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle." Proverbs 23:4 NLT

We had a running family joke in my home when someone whined and complained from a day packed with too much fun. The joke originated from one of my favorite childhood storybooks.

In the story, the little bear had "too much birthday." On the morning of her birthday, she woke up ready to celebrate all day long. The day was filled with friends, food, and fun, but eventually, it all became too much and she had a major meltdown. She had everything she wanted,  but instead of making her happy it overwhelmed her, too much of a good thing quickly turned into a bad thing. 

As an adult, I continue to find myself experiencing the effects of "too much birthday." When activities and social obligations fill every available moment in my days I end up exhausted and overwhelmed. When a few bites of dessert turn into a whole bowl I end up with a sickly stomach and a guilty conscience. I go on convincing myself I don't need rest until my body responds by becoming physically sick.

Isn't it easy to extend ourselves beyond our limitations? Choosing to ignore our limitations is unwise because when we continually push beyond our capabilities we will eventually break down.

The book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom on living a godly life. Towards the end of the book, we find "thirty sayings of the wise," verses that focus on living a life that seeks the wisdom of God. 

Nestled in the middle of the sayings is Proverbs 23:4-5, "Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle." The author of this Proverb wasn't warning against having wealth, personal luxuries, or worldly comforts. Instead, he is driving us to consider what cost and what sacrifices we must make to obtain these things. 

We experience the effects of "too much birthday" when we try to fill the void in our lives with this world's temporary things. Like the little bear in the story, we tell ourselves that if we just had "this," or when we get "that," then we will be happy- we will finally have our best life ever! But, just like the little bear, when we pursue the wrong things, expecting that more stuff fills the void in our lives, we find ourselves feeling empty, discouraged, and depressed. 

The only thing worth pursuing is God. He offers, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, the gift of eternal life. A relationship with God doesn't mean that we will magically live comfortable and carefree lives. However, those who trust the Lord aren't dependent on circumstances, finances, or relationships for their happiness. So maybe instead of overindulging in ice cream when you're feeling lonely, start a text thread with a few friends from church. Or instead of adding another event to the already packed calendar make some space for the sabbath this weekend. We can release ourselves from the rat race of having it all and being it all and rest in the comfort of the One who is all in all ( Matthew 11:28).

Intersecting Faith and Life:
John Calvin once wrote, “Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.”  Meaning, humans are naturally bent to pursue anything other than God, seeking temporary comfort and contentment in worldly things over eternal. Looking at your life, is there something that you have allowed to be your source of happiness other than God? Take time today to confess, and ask the Lord to release you from this idol, and allow Him to have number one priority in your life.

Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 4:17
Colossians 3:5

 

A Prayer for Moms & Daughters.....By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for Moms & Daughters

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. Ruth 1:16-18

One of the most sacred gifts we received from the Lord is family. Yes, at times it can be difficult, even tumultuous, but in the very same breath, there is nothing like knowing you have someone who is always desiring God’s best for you. Ruth and Naomi are wonderful examples of this. While their mother and daughter relationship came by Ruth's marriage to her Naomi's son, ultimately their relationship grew because they stood firm in the promise to care for and love each other, no matter what. They beautifully lived out leading in truth and loving in truth. We can see from their stories the storms they weathered weren’t easy, but the Lord used these hardships to bring them closer together and ultimately draw them closer to Him.

Today, I want to take a moment to speak to and pray for moms and daughters. I trust that if this prayer is not directly for you, you know a mom or daughter who needs prayer today.

To the heart of a mom - God sees your heart for your daughter. He knows you love her endlessly and want the absolute best for her. He hears the prayers and the cries of your heart you’ve poured out about her life. Though the tensions can feel high and the world's desire for your daughter's heart feels like an endless battle, stand firm in this: God hand-picked YOU to be her mom. God permitted it, willed it, and brought it to fruition for such a time as this. Lead her well by leading her in truth. Love her well by loving her in truth. (1 John 3:18) Know God's Word and pray it over her. Look in her eyes, whisper in her year, and remind her what God says about who she is. Love and lead her straight to the heart of our Creator.

To the heart of a daughter - Trust your mom, she is for you - not against you. She loves you endlessly and wants the best for you. Her discipline comes from the heart of God because He desires wholeness for your life. God hears the cries of your heart and He knows what you’re facing. Though the world may feel heavy, I promise you God is in control - trust His hands and trace His heart through His Word. He is loving, leading, and pursuing your heart through it all. You are loved by God and He wants to use you. Listen, lean in, and surrender. Be bold for the Kingdom; love and honor the truth as you learn what God says. Write it on your heart and be attentive to how He leads you. He will never lead you astray and He will never lead you into sin. He never steps outside of His character or contradicts Himself. When you look at your mom, I pray you see a warrior. She is fighting for you in more ways than you know; for your heart, your mind, and your innocence. Your mom is on the frontlines in prayer over your life, and she is trusting God’s plans for you.

Pray with me…

Lord,

Thank you for the blessing of mothers and daughters, who have the opportunity to work on behalf of the Kingdom of God. Help us as we submit our ways and take up our cross and follow you. Father, help us grow in grace with one another and let us both boldly love each other in deed and in truth.

There are wonderful gifts that come with being a mother and daughter. There is also the potential for great heartache that can come from this relationship too. Lord, Remember help us grow in grace together. Help us live for the Kingdom together and serve one another in the way Christ displays. Though this may not always be easy, help us cling to you through it all.

We love you, in Jesus’s name, Amen.