Search Results

Thinking about Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

A lot of folks misread that. It's not 'all things are good'. Because they aren't. Some events and circumstances are devastating, crushing, life-altering. To deny that is disingenuous at best. At its worst, it destroys our faith and warps our view of God, sometimes even to the point we no longer serve Him.

In Genesis, we read the story of Joseph, a teenager who was guilty of nothing more than being a brat. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers, then falsely accused of sexual assault and imprisoned for thirteen years. Thirteen. Years.

His response echoes the idea behind Romans 8:28. He says, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Genesis 50:20 NAS)

He doesn't whitewash his brothers' intent or that it was personal, but he says God wove those strands together in a way that redeemed them. Since sin first entered the world, God has chosen to redeem it rather than destroy it. He is redeeming my sins and failures as sure as He redeemed my soul. And He's redeeming the wrongs committed against me.

Well-meaning folks will use this verse intending to encourage us in difficult times, but instead it becomes a false barometer. If we don't agree that whatever "it" is is good, our faith, our love for God or even our salvation itself is brought under suspicion. That's unfair. It doesn't show a lack of faith if we mourn and grieve when bad things happen. It shows we have a tender heart that longs for the day when all tears are wiped away, but yet remains bound to a fallen world. It is a cry for the day when God will avenge all those wrongs, while realizing we're bound to endure them for now.

I pray for God's strength and comfort on us all as He weaves.

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: faith, Genesis, Joseph, redemption, Romans

The Lord is in this place and I did not know it

By Paula

Not too long ago, I read about Jacob's vision of the ladder. The next morning, he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it." Genesis 28:16

I didn't know. I wasn't aware. I didn't understand. I didn't realize it. I didn't grasp the implications. I didn't take the time.

Busyness. My schedule. My family's schedule. The seemingly urgent. Imagined pressure. Assigned priorities.

God did not call me to finish a to do list. He called me into a relationship with Him. That's what I need to know.

"O God and Father, I repent of my sinful preoccupation with visible things. The world has been too much with me. Thou hast been here and I knew it not. I have been blind to Thy Presence. Open my eyes that I may behold Thee in and around me. For Christ's sake, Amen." A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (p. 41). Kindle Edition.

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: A W Tozer, Genesis, Jacob, Pursuit of God

Hiding From God

By Paula

In Genesis 3:9, after Adam and Eve realized their sin and hid, God calls, "Where are you?" The answer…?

Hiding from God.

Knowing I can't fix this myself, in fear and shame, I'm hiding from the only One who can.

I'm consumed by the lies that You can't or You won't love me any more after what I've done.

I'm cutting myself off from healing and peace.

You know all this, but…

You're. Still. Seeking.

Me.

So why am I hiding?

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: Adam and Eve, Book of Genesis, fear, Garden of Eden, Genesis, shame

Receiving

By Paula

(Totally stole this idea from my husband. He's okay with it.)

At the tail end of Genesis, after the death and burial of Jacob, Joseph's brothers are seized by fear. What if he decides to repay them for selling him into slavery all those years ago? Their fear consumes them to the point that they send messengers to Joseph to beg for his forgiveness again. Joseph was grieved by this and he responded with words of comfort and kindness.

Here's the thing. Joseph forgave his brothers seventeen years earlier. They had lived off his grace and provision for them all that time. They had experienced and thrived under it. But it still seemed too good to be true. They "knew" it couldn't last.

Grace and forgiveness are hard to accept, hard to grasp, and not just for Joseph's brothers. How often do we live in fear of God, who forgave us and clearly demonstrated that? We beg for forgiveness for sins God has forgotten. We live in His grace, but with constant glances over our shoulders, sure that He's bound to figure out we don't deserve it. ) We don't deserve it. That's what makes it grace.)

We don't have to live in fear. The other shoe won't drop. The rug won't be yanked out from under us. God speaks words or kindness and comfort to us. "I have called you by name. You are mine." His grace is eternal. His love is limitless. His promises unbreakable.

Do you ever struggle with receiving grace and forgiveness?

Filed Under: Living Tagged With: Forgiveness, Genesis, grace, Joseph

STT: Genesis

By Paula

Let's kick off a series of tips for studying specific books of the Bible. Today, the book of Genesis.

"The Beginning" Road Sign with dramatic blue sky and clouds.

First tip – Don't worry about all the "begats".

The first book of the Bible is a great place to start studying God’s Word. It is the “book of beginnings”. Reading two chapters each day will finish off the book in under a month. Kay Arthur’s notes in The New Inductive Study Bible divides the book into two sections. Chapters 1-11 describe four great events (Creation, the Fall, the Flood and the Dispersion) while chapters 12-50 look at the lives of four great people (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph).

Here are some things to look for as you read through Genesis:

Firsts – Of course Genesis tells of the first man and woman and so on, but it also describes the first act of worship. Interestingly, the first mention of love in the Scripture occurs in the context of a father’s love (ch. 22). That story of Abraham and Isaac is one of my favorites in all of Scripture.

God’s Revelation of Himself - God becomes more personal as the story unfolds. From Elohim in the opening words to God Almighty and the God Who Sees, God displays more of His character to His people

God Initiates – Everything we are and have comes from the will and hand of God. He made us, revealed Himself to us, and sought a relationship with us. After man’s failure, God’s in love and grace initiated redemption for a hopeless humanity. The story of His pursuit of us begins in Genesis.

What have you learned from your studies of Genesis?

Filed Under: Book study, Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: Abraham, Bible study, Genesis, Kay Arthur