ALL THINGS! - Part 1

Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Life can have it's difficulties. Have you ever been moving along so well in your life and all of a sudden you run smack dab into a brick wall? Recently I had a major event happen in my life that turned everything in my world upside down. It was a major event that took me from being the pastor of a church to sitting in a congregation back home. I thought that God was done with me and my life. After a few years of sitting, and pouting to be honest, I figured it was time to get back up and serve the Lord again. You see, we have to remember what that old Hymn said "my Father planed it all". He is in control of all things and according to His word, "...all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." So What can I say other than God is good. With all of this in mind let us take a look at what Romans 8:28 teaches us:

1. We Should KNOW!

The fact is, we should know that all things work together, but do we? Most of the time we worry, we do not trust, and plain and simple, we DO NOT KNOW. God has shown through the lives of many Biblical characters the truth that "All things" really do work together for good, to them that Love God. Many of you grew up in Christian homes, attended churches for years, and sat in Sunday School classes hearing about these Biblical characters. Here is the question though, have you learned, and do you KNOW? In II Timothy 3:15 the scripture states "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make the wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus You Have been taught the truths of the Word of God. The Scriptures show us that if we trust Him all things do work together for good. Lets look at two Biblical characters, who faced hardships, but never stopped trusting God.

Joseph dealt with many things in his life. He felt and heard the hatred of his brothers, the pains of being placed into slavery, and the pains of being wrongfully accused and placed into prison. Joseph had every right to complain, every right to quit serving the Lord, but he held on to the knowledge that all things are in God's hand. After many years of suffering, we find him being reunited and honored by his father and his brothers. He truly found the ending better than the beginning.

Job dealt with the pains of the death of his children and the loss of everything he owned. His wife even told him to "Curse God and die". Of all the characters in the Bible, he suffered some major trials, including the breakdown of His health. Even his friends came to "encourage" him in the Lord by belittling him. Job came out on top though because the Bible says in chapter 1:22 "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly". Job continued to have faith in God knowing that He was the one who held everything in His hands. At the end of the book of Job we see the outcome of all these trials he faced. The Scripture tells us, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he had prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before". Job truly saw and could truly say, "I KNOW"

So the questions is, do you know? You should be able to hold to the truth and knowledge that God is with you through thick and thin. As I look back over the past three years I can see God's hand directing me exactly where He wanted me to be. He has lead me through the most difficult part of my life. It was a painful transition that I am still feeling the effects of today. I have to thank God for the knowledge that He had control all this time. I Know, but do you?