Verse: Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Devotion:
Here we have one of the most well known, frequently quoted, and regularly misused/misapplied verses in all of the New Testament. Those that tout a version of the “Prosperity Gospel” would have you believe that this verse means as long as you love God, everything in your life will be good. If everything is not good, well, you obviously don’t love God enough. Others have twisted this verse into the all-too-common, modern day refrain of “Everything happens for a reason”, usually in response to some negative life circumstance. But that’s not really what Paul is getting at either.
To understand this verse, we need to properly define a couple of its key components:
1) “Those who love God” – This is pretty simple. It refers to Christians; followers of Christ; those who have trusted in him for their salvation and have been adopted into the family of God. This truth is further emphasized in the second half of the verse, as those who love God are the same ones “called according to his purpose”.
2) “Good” – The important thing to understand here is that this is “good” from God’s perspective. Sometimes that will align with our understanding of it, but all too often it will not. While we are bound by temporal limitations, God views good on an eternal spectrum. Ultimately, the good he is working toward is our glorification in heaven with him.
When we properly define the terminology, it becomes clear that at its core, this verse is a beautiful reminder of God’s sovereignty. That no matter what is happening in our lives or the world around us, he is actively using “all things” as a part of his plan to ultimately bring us into eternal fellowship with him!
Prayer
God, thank you that you have a purpose for the world, and for each of our lives. Thank you that we can trust you are working toward the ultimate good for us, even when we aren’t able to see it in the moment. Please help us to live confidently in that knowledge, and use it as a testimony to those around us of how much you love us, and them. Amen.
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