Thursday

It's amazing to me how quickly the days pass/roll around. Good morning, Thursday. It has been a fairly productive week so far, and I am hoping for a good day today. Sermon prep is the dominant thought/activity for the day.

This week I am talking about God being for us, using Romans 8:28-39. Interesting passage. My class pointed out last night how we often trivialize/misuse/misquote Romans 8:28.

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.

We must not/cannot ignore the present painful reality and quickly dismiss it with this verse. I believe Paul's point is that God enters into our suffering to redeem it, to use it for his purpose. When we have doubts about all this, Paul points us to the cross (read the rest of the passage), essentially saying, "Have no doubt that God is for us. He gave up his son for us."

The hope of a future when/where everything will be made right is what keeps us going at times. I think we have to be careful, however, that we do not dismiss this present suffering. It serves a purpose. It is part of a process to conform us into the image of Jesus. The tension between the present reality and our future hope is relieved by the knowledge of God’s inseparable and unstoppable love for us.

SO we enter into suffering with an attitude that comes from this wonderful knowledge that God is for us and will use suffering to make us better.