Thought of the Day !!

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 (NIV)

Not in some things...not in most things...not in the good things that happen in our lives...but in "ALL" things God works for the good of those who love him.

In the midst of our personal trials, we may not think anything good can happen. But if we will look close enough, we will see that God even uses these times. It may be to build our character or strength. I remember one of the Star Trek movies where someone "playing" God told Captain Kirk, the captain of the starship Enterprise, that he could take away the things from his past that caused him pain. Kirk replied that he didn't want his past pains taken away. These were the things that brought him character and made him who he was.

We would not be who we are today if it were not for the good and bad things that happened in our lives. We are strengthened by trials and tribulations that we've overcome. And this is just a sample of how God "can" work for good in all things.

Other times that seemingly have no upside to them are times of disaster. We all remember 9/11. This was a terrible event in the history of our nation. But afterwards our nation banded together and you didn't hear about political parties and other kinds of disputes. We were all on the same team, even if only for a short while. How did God work good in this? Church attendance rose in the weeks following this event. I know that many of those who started coming after 9/11 have long since quit coming again, but you and I will never know how many came back and stayed and how many found a deeper relationship with God because of it. And God works for good.

Lets not forget tragic natural disasters like the earthquake I read about this morning in Chile or the devastating hurricanes that hit our Gulf Coast within the last several years. Where was God through events such as Katrina? I saw Him in the aftermath where people learned that they could make a difference. He was there when neighbor helped neighbor (even if that neighbor was someone they'd never met). People learned how to care for others and feed others and pray with others. Many learned how to be a Christian, maybe for the first time. And so the love of Christ has been shared throughout our lands. And God works for good.

We can see God working good in ALL things if we will only look close enough. He didn't make 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina happen. He didn't start the fires that swept through California earlier this year. He wasn't trying to test us, punish us, or see how we would react. But in these events He does see us through and works good for all of us who love Him and are called to live according to His purpose.

Today you may be going through trials of pain in your life. This pain could be physical or mental or emotional. But whatever kind it might be, know that God is with you and that He can even bring good out of whatever you're going through. May God bless you in whatever circumstances you live. And may there be more good ones that bad ones. And may you see the good that God does in your life through both.

In the love of Christ,
greg