ListenDaily - 14 November 2008; In all thing, yes, all things

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You can look up this, or any other passage here: http://www.biblegateway.com/

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

Another note: "God works together for good"..........hmmm. Maybe I need to learn more about that. Ever since I heard about the tragedy that killed both the family and the drivers of both vehicles in the collision in Harrington, I have struggled with trying to understand a seemingly senseless tragedy in which it seems thus far no one's failure caused the accident to happen. That is, neither driver appears to have been driving unsafely. So why did 6 people, who by all accounts were wonderful Christian people who were well and truly loved by many ,die? If God works together for good, does that mean that though God certainly did not cause the accident to happen nor did he wish those people to die in that way, maybe something good will come out of this terrible accident. I wonder if that is what the passage means? Priscilla

This is the main thing I have been wanting to say about this verse. We live in a fallen world. Every evil thing that has happened, is happening, or will happen, can be traced back to a poor exercise of free will by Adam and Eve. Every war, every illness, every innoncent child killed by a drunk driver, has occurred because of that initial bad choice, and bad choices made since. Don't get me wrong, people get sick, not because of their own sin* but because sin has made the world a sick place in which to live. Righteous-thinking people can be drawn into bad situations to try and stem the flow of evil. Bad things happen because we have evil desires within us, and Satan, unhindered, preys upon our every weakness. Sin is rampant on the Earth and terrible things happen every moment of every day. There is a deeper theological question of why God allows evil to continue, which is a study in itself, but I do like what Nicholi said, referencing C.S. Lewis: "We are told in scripture that with God all things are possible. But Lewis states that this does not mean that God can do anything. God cannot, for example, answer nonsensical questions. He cannot do both of two mutually exclusive things; for example, He cannot create creatures with free will and at the same time withhold free will from them."
*(There are, of course, sin-related illnesses, from drug misuse for example.)

We can come back to the question of why bad things happen, but they do happen. The question for today is; what happens next? Good parents take care of their children, and respond with kindness when something happens to their child. If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt. 7:11)

Children fall down and scrape their knees, they fall off their bikes, they get picked on by bullies, they make bad decisions, and good parents love them through it all, albeit sometimes tough love. They love them because they love them, and their continued nurturing through tough times, helps make good adults. Spiritually we fall down, Satan bullies us, and we make bad decisions. God loves us through it all. If we respond to His love by accepting His Son, our lives will be good. Hard maybe, but good. And by good, I mean, honoring God, advancing His Kingdom, and spending eternity with Him. It is hard to see the good in the senseless loss of lives, like in the accident Priscilla referred to, which recently rocked our local community. Maybe there was no good in it. But if the Body of Christ responds to the hurt left in the wake of the disaster, good can come because God will come. If those left behind will cry out to God, He will respond. And while circumstances can be terrible, no force exists that is greater than the love of God.

I have loved you with an everlasting love...and underneath are the everlasting arms...the Spirit helps us in our weakness...the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. (from Jer. 31:3, Deut. 33:27, Romans 8:26-27 More to follow...!

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Questions:

1. So, does God work all things for good?
2. How difficult is it to see eternal good through earthly eyes?
3. Any other questions or comments on this topic?

INTERESTING THOUGHT:

"I must not think it strange if God takes in youth those

whom I would have kept on earth until they were older.
God is peopling eternity, and I must not restrict Him to old men and women."
Jim Elliot