One Simple Truth - Day 8: All things work together for good ONLY for those who follow Him.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is an old gospel song (1956) that has a line in it that has always struck me as being a little funny: “Surely I will Lord; surely I will. If anyone makes it precious Lord, surely I will.”

Sometimes Christians throw around promises from the word of God as if they are certain of their eligibility to receive the promise. Indeed, they may become indignant, supposing that God has “shortchanged” them if they don’t see what they have been promised.

Now certainly, our hope is in what God has promised through Jesus Christ. But in order to receive the promise(s), we must meet the condition(s).

Consider this often quoted promise from our Lord:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus, in teaching about the fact that we should not have anxiety over the things we need, makes the point that God will give us what we need. But what is the condition? We must put the Kingdom of God first in our lives.

God, speaking prophetically through the psalmist, addresses the people of His covenant who are not keeping their part of the covenant. The Lord basically tells them that they have no right to speak of the guarantees in His covenant with them, because of their wickedness.

“But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant? For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash. When you see thieves, you approve of them, and you spend your time with adulterers. Your mouth is filled with wickedness, and your tongue is full of lies. You sit around and slander your brother— your own mother’s son.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The verses just before the above scripture, give the remedy for God’s people and their wayward ways:

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The remedy for these covenant breakers is also repeated after this passage:

“While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Make no mistake, Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves, taking our sin upon Himself and paying the awful price for our transgression.

However, the work of Jesus has not freed us from our responsibility to keep the word of God, following close behind Him, living lives reflecting His nature.

In fact, it is the very work of the cross that has enabled us to receive God’s Holy Spirit Who leads us into all truth and all righteousness.

Our opening scripture is one of those scriptures Christians embrace, often leaving off the second part of it. We cannot suppose that God is working all things together for our good if we are not living our lives in the fear of the Lord and in obedience to His will for us.

But if we do come to Jesus, if we do get under His yoke, following on to truly know Him, then we can be certain that we will receive every promise given from the Lord to His children. And yes, God will then make all things work together for our good!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim

#onesimpletruth