Verse of the Week - Romans 8:28

[Rex]

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. Rom 8:28

 

[musicalpilgrim]

A good verse to discuss...so does God turn all things to good for those who love him, as evil things do happen? This requires some thought. Turning all things to good...

 

[suzeequeue]

"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."

Romans 8:28 has always been one of my favorite verses. it reminds me of when Joseph said, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

and the verse in Esther where Mordecai says, "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

the LORD is truly amazing! amen? i just love how He makes all things work together... for good. though we usually cannot see the good at the time.

praise Your holy name, Jesus!!

 

[Xalith]

We know that nothing (including evil) happens without God allowing it to happen.

And we know that God has an infinite Plan, one that we could never understand, even when we get to Heaven, I don't think we would ever fully understand his Plan (though I do believe that more will be revealed to us when we are capable of understanding it, when our bodies and minds are made perfect in Heaven, once the last bits of Sin are finally done away with, etc).

We know that God does not do evil; He does not cause evil. He will allow evil to happen, but only when it fulfills a part of His Plan.

Therefore, we know that everything that happens in our lives, happens because God allows it.

Sometimes He will use evil for His purposes, and if evil happens in our lives, God allows it for a variety of reasons, some of which might or might not include:

1). He Allows Satan to test us (Job), and He receives glory when we pass these tests.
2). When we overcome evil, we get stronger.
3). Evil events can bring someone to repentance or teach them lessons.
4). Preventing an evil event might cause something worse to happen to someone else, or something worse to happen later.
5). Above all, to the Believer, our time on Earth is but a blink of an eye against Eternity. Even the Death of our Earthly body is naught more than a single moment in our existence.

There are probably more reasons than these, as I am only a human still in his Earthly body, with my flawed Earthly brain doing the thinking and I can't possibly fathom all the things that God is; my understanding is limited to what He tells us through His word and what the Holy Spirit reveals to me.

I am confident, and trusting in the fact that God uses everything in a believer's life for their good, even if we do not see the good in some things. Losing one's job, or a house fire, or a car accident, or even "untimely" death (I use the word very liberally; all things happen according to His timing) is for each believer's good in some way or another.

Sometimes I wonder why the Lord allowed me to be lukewarm for 20+ years, why only 3 months ago has He brought me closer to Him? I don't know -- He had a reason for His timing and I likely won't understand until I'm in Heaven... if I come to understand it at all, lol. He will tell me what He wishes, and nothing else and I am content with that.

 

[ken777]

In "The Hiding Place" Corrie Ten Boom tells about hers and her sister, Betsie’s, imprisonment in German concentration camps in World War II for their work in helping Jews escape the brutal Third Reich. Corrie tells of their first day at Ravensbruck where she and Betsie were led into their barracks, only to discover that the entire living area is infested with fleas.

“Fleas!” I cried. “Betsie, the place is swarming with them!”

We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle, and edged our way to a patch of light.

“Here! And here another one!” I wailed. “Betsie, how can we live in such a place?”

“Show us. Show us how.” It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie.

“Corrie!” she said excitedly, “He’s given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!”

I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch. “It was in First Thessalonians,” I said. We were on our third complete reading of the New Testament since leaving Scheveningen. In the feeble light I turned the pages. “Here it is: ‘Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.…’” It seemed written expressly to Ravensbruck.

“Go on,” said Betsie. “That wasn’t all.”

“Oh yes: ‘… to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus – “

“That’s it, Corrie! That’s his answer. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances!’ That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!”
I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

“Such as?” I said.

“Such as being assigned here together.”

I bit my lip. “Oh yes, Lord Jesus!”

“Such as what you’re holding in your hands.”

I looked down at the Bible, “Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet you in these pages.”

“Yes!” said Betsie, “Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!” She looked at me expectantly. “Corrie!” she prodded.

“Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.”

“Thank You,” Betsie went on serenely, “for the fleas and for – “

The fleas! This was too much. “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea!”

“’Give thanks in all circumstances’” she quoted. “It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

As time went on, Corrie and Betsie would begin to hold worship services in the barracks. Night after night, they would hold services and they would never be disturbed by the guards in the dormitories. They were closely watched everywhere else, but in the barracks, the guards rarely showed up at all. Corrie goes on to tell how they learned the answer to the mystery:

One evening I got back to the barracks late from a food gathering foray outside the walls. … Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling.
“You’re looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself,” I told her.

“You know we never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,” she said. “Well – I’ve found out!”

That afternoon, she said, there had been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come settle it.

“But she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t step through the door, and neither would the guards. And you know why?”

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: “Because of the fleas! That’s what she said, ‘That place is crawling with fleas!’”

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie’s bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.

 

[suzeequeue]

i saw the movie, "The Hiding Place," when it came out in the 70s. i read the book after seeing the movie. their story has always stayed with me. i've seen Corrie interviewed several times also. she reminded me so much of my grandma. thanks for sharing that beautiful story about Betsie and the fleas, and thank you, Lord, for our blessings and trials. consider it pure joy...

 

[Gregory Thompson]

hmmm so if things are going good . God loves me . and if things are not going good .. God doesn't love me .. now i normally don't have this thought .. so maybe i picked it up from an imprint of a strong emotion of someone reading this verse .. so i'll address that.
.
Who does God love? God is love, God loves everyone, God loves you. The verse is saying that God does what is best for us, it may not make sense because we like things that are harmful to us, but God's intentions work together to give you your best life, and become the inner person he already sees you as.
.
"the good" is in relation to the way God sees things ... so if you want to see the good in it, and in everything falling apart, speak to God, ask him to let you see things as he does.

 

[Strong in Him]

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. Rom 8:28

I love this verse - thank you.

 

[Strong in Him]

"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."

To be honest I prefer the version that says "In all things God works for good" - it isn't the things which somehow work together for good, but God who works in the things. I'm not trying to criticise - maybe that's just semantics, but I like it.
And when I think of this verse alongside Genesis 1,
"In the beginning, God"
"in all things, God",
I find that quite powerful.

Romans 8:28 has always been one of my favorite verses. it reminds me of when Joseph said, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

Absolutely; it makes me think of that too. I've always found it amazing that Joseph could say that after all he had been through.

the LORD is truly amazing! amen? i just love how He makes all things work together... for good. though we usually cannot see the good at the time.

praise Your holy name, Jesus!!

Amen!

 

[Strong in Him]

In "The Hiding Place" Corrie Ten Boom tells about hers and her sister, Betsie’s, imprisonment in German concentration camps in World War II for their work in helping Jews escape the brutal Third Reich. Corrie tells of their first day at Ravensbruck where she and Betsie were led into their barracks, only to discover that the entire living area is infested with fleas.

“Fleas!” I cried. “Betsie, the place is swarming with them!”

We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle, and edged our way to a patch of light.

“Here! And here another one!” I wailed. “Betsie, how can we live in such a place?”

“Show us. Show us how.” It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie.

“Corrie!” she said excitedly, “He’s given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!”

I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch. “It was in First Thessalonians,” I said. We were on our third complete reading of the New Testament since leaving Scheveningen. In the feeble light I turned the pages. “Here it is: ‘Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.…’” It seemed written expressly to Ravensbruck.

“Go on,” said Betsie. “That wasn’t all.”

“Oh yes: ‘… to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus – “

“That’s it, Corrie! That’s his answer. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances!’ That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!”
I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

“Such as?” I said.

“Such as being assigned here together.”

I bit my lip. “Oh yes, Lord Jesus!”

“Such as what you’re holding in your hands.”

I looked down at the Bible, “Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet you in these pages.”

“Yes!” said Betsie, “Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!” She looked at me expectantly. “Corrie!” she prodded.

“Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.”

“Thank You,” Betsie went on serenely, “for the fleas and for – “

The fleas! This was too much. “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea!”

“’Give thanks in all circumstances’” she quoted. “It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

As time went on, Corrie and Betsie would begin to hold worship services in the barracks. Night after night, they would hold services and they would never be disturbed by the guards in the dormitories. They were closely watched everywhere else, but in the barracks, the guards rarely showed up at all. Corrie goes on to tell how they learned the answer to the mystery:

One evening I got back to the barracks late from a food gathering foray outside the walls. … Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling.
“You’re looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself,” I told her.

“You know we never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,” she said. “Well – I’ve found out!”

That afternoon, she said, there had been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come settle it.

“But she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t step through the door, and neither would the guards. And you know why?”

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: “Because of the fleas! That’s what she said, ‘That place is crawling with fleas!’”

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie’s bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.

I remember reading that. I think Corrie's sister, Betsie, must have been an amazing woman.
It reminds me of a similar story I heard where a man, who I think was a prisoner because of his faith, was assigned to work in the cess pits. He found he could sing and pray out loud all day long - no one came anywhere near him.

 

[Tishri1]

WOW what a great verse and love the story of Betsy too!!

Im going to put a flea in my siggy to remind me of God's goodness!!!!

I know this is true in our lives. I cant count how many times, when looking back, things were not easy to go thru but were actually set up for me by God, for my good.

One hard one was losing my job a year ago....I didn't want to quit and even felt guilty when I did....I felt it was too selfish of me but noooooo it wasn't.... I had seniority and needed better hours to care for my parents yet couldn't get this one simple need met from my company, so I was right to quit. Took me a month to wrestle thru that decision.

By quitting though that meant I had to pay out of pocket for insurance and I had to figure out how to make money another way.

For about 3 months I was with out a clue for what to do and then the best job I have ever had dropped down from heaven into my lap. I make my own hours now and so have all the time needed for my parents and I doubled my income which pays for my insurance and I love this job. God was looking out for me and I didn't even know it!

 

[Xalith]

RE: @Tishri1: I've had some employment issues myself the last few months.

I don't work at any particularly "large" or "great" job, I'm just a mere worker in a grocery store. However, a few months ago, our store started doing a bit badly because of other stores moving in, a nearby school closing down, another large company moving out, etc.

The boss slashed one position from the roster which dumped a heap of work on all of us, and he said that he even hesitated to do That, because he didn't really wanna cut like that.

Well anyways, I was tempted to turn in my 2-week notice awhile back and I prayed to God and when I got there and I talked to my boss about the thing that was making me quit (one of my days were made impossible by the changes), the boss and I worked it out.

So I worked a few more weeks, and I found it to STILL be impossible and a couple more things happened, new rules were posted that sounded literally impossible to actually carry out (too much work, too little time) and other little things. I prayed and prayed and the decision I came to, was to turn in my 2-week notice, which I did.

I came to work next morning (boss was there) and on the way there, I prayed to God that He would have the Holy Spirit give me what to say to him, because I knew the boss was going to want to talk to me about this. I'm a 14-year veteran of the place, I pre-date even the boss (I actually have worked there 14 years + 8 months) and I am the most senior employee of the place.

Well, he walked up to me and he was nice and polite, and he said that he considers me to be 'almost a part of the family' (wow, I didn't know that!) and he said "you never complain... so go ahead, complain." lol. I told him the truth, and we talked it out, and managed to work things out.

Well, I think the whole thing was a test and a work from God -- he wanted to test me to see if I was able to treat my boss with respect and love (which I did) to see if I'd be truthful but willing to compromise (which I did), and I think God used the whole event to prevent a catastrophe from happening. These little rules that the boss had the manager type up sounded like ultimatums, like "you must get this, this, this done" but the boss told me they were more supposed to be guidelines and he doesn't want to see people just standing around doing nothing or seemingly lost (apparently the other newbie stockperson kept forgetting what she was supposed to be doing next).

Anyways, said newbie was getting frustrated, and from what I could tell, she was pondering quitting herself. If I had turned in my 2-week notice, and a week or two down the line she did as well... we already have a skeleton crew as it is, and the boss isn't having such an easy time keeping everything together, and if another cashier or two were motivated to quit...

I can only imagine what might have happened to the store and the boss and his family if he had lost 3-4 workers (we have less than a dozen total workers). It would have been very bad news in general.

I think God wanted to use this event to encourage the other workers, and to try and work things out so that nobody quits and the store continues on. The store is right in the middle of a small town, and there's a lot of elderly people who use the store because they can't drive or don't have a car, and the other nearest store is about 6-8 miles down the road.

I can see why He wouldn't want the store to fold; that store is what is keeping a good number of people supplied and fed.

This, of course, is only my limited ability to try to reason out why God did what He did with me, and those working at my workplace. I could be wrong in this, but this is the understanding I've come to, after several prayers.

 

[musicalpilgrim]

Sometimes He will use evil for His purposes, and if evil happens in our lives, God allows it for a variety of reasons, some of which might or might not include:

1). He Allows Satan to test us (Job), and He receives glory when we pass these tests.
2). When we overcome evil, we get stronger.
3). Evil events can bring someone to repentance or teach them lessons.
4). Preventing an evil event might cause something worse to happen to someone else, or something worse to happen later.
5). Above all, to the Believer, our time on Earth is but a blink of an eye against Eternity. Even the Death of our Earthly body is naught more than a single moment in our existence.

It is great to read all of the above posts; yes, I remember Corrie and the fleas. The one that speaks to me the most is 5) Above all, to the Believer, our time on Earth is but a blink of an eye against Eternity. Even the Death of our Earthly body is naught more than a single moment in our existence. The last 6 months have been terrible, watching my son suffer and die with pancreatic cancer, leaving his young family. In the night...it is always the worst of times for me...crying to the Lord for relief from the tremendous feeling of loss, this truth is just what I had impressed on my mind from the Lord, just a couple of weeks ago. All the questions and the feelings that life isn't possible without my dear son, all became easier to live with in the light of this great truth.

 

[suzeequeue]

To be honest I prefer the version that says "In all things God works for good" - it isn't the things which somehow work together for good, but God who works in the things. I'm not trying to criticise - maybe that's just semantics, but I like it.
And when I think of this verse alongside Genesis 1,
"In the beginning, God"
"in all things, God",
I find that quite powerful.

well, we all have our favorite 'version.' most Scripture i have memorized is from RSV because that's what i grew up studying, but i also used NIV for many years. couple of years ago switched to KJV and i'm so glad i did. clearly, Bible 'versions' are another topic, but even a simple comma can change the entire meaning of a verse, so indeed i think it's very important what 'version' one uses and what the words say. they ALL say something different, which is indeed very sad. God's blessings on you, dear one.

 

[suzeequeue]

It is great to read all of the above posts; yes, I remember Corrie and the fleas. The one that speaks to me the most is 5) Above all, to the Believer, our time on Earth is but a blink of an eye against Eternity. Even the Death of our Earthly body is naught more than a single moment in our existence. The last 6 months have been terrible, watching my son suffer and die with pancreatic cancer, leaving his young family. In the night...it is always the worst of times for me...crying to the Lord for relief from the tremendous feeling of loss, this truth is just what I had impressed on my mind from the Lord, just a couple of weeks ago. All the questions and the feelings that life isn't possible without my dear son, all became easier to live with in the light of this great truth.

God is so good, sis. i'm glad you are finding comfort in His word. i am so very truly sorry for your great loss... may the Lord continue to hold you close and comfort your broken heart.

love in Christ

 

[musicalpilgrim]

...thank you so much, suzeequeue...

 

[suzeequeue]

you are so very welcome, musicalpilgrim

 

[Tishri1]

...In the night...it is always the worst of times for me...crying to the Lord for relief from the tremendous feeling of loss, this truth is just what I had impressed on my mind from the Lord, just a couple of weeks ago. All the questions and the feelings that life isn't possible without my dear son, all became easier to live with in the light of this great truth.

(((((musicalpilgrim)))))
I'm praying for you right now!

 

[Tishri1]

RE: @Tishri1: ...

This, of course, is only my limited ability to try to reason out why God did what He did with me, and those working at my workplace. I could be wrong in this, but this is the understanding I've come to, after several prayers.

Im soooooo glad for the company and your whole community that you followed God's lead through this whole thing.

 

[Postvieww]

Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.


27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.


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.


Let’s not just pull one verse out of context and run with it. I believe verse 28 only happens after verses 26 and 27 are put into action. When a believer practices verses 26 & 27 verse 28 will be the result. "And we know" ties verse 28 to the previous verses.