A
daily,
Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Tuesday,
October
26,
2021
Sweet
Arrow
Lake, Pine Grove, PA
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"According To His
Purpose"
Listen to this message on your audio player.
“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).
This is my Father’s world.
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
Carol is a friend of ours we met through chaplaincy many years ago She shared a heart-breaking experience in her life that illustrates the main theme in today's message, "according to His purpose”.
Her two week old son had died as a result of a heart catheterization that punctured his heart causing him to bleed to death. She wrote about the intense pain and loss she endured but how this tragic experience helped her to relate to others whose children die. She testified of her assurance that God was in control even in that tragedy, although she could not see it then but only believed it to be true, claiming our daily verse.
A situation like this always puts us at a crossroads. We can grow bitter or we can trust the Lord in the midst of the awful pain in what are, at times, His incomprehensible ways. What a wonderful testimony she shared:
"After our son died, my husband and I became
involved in a
Bible Study for children and eventually conducted the
study in our own
home and had nearly 50 different children learning
God's Word. We never
had done anything like that before, and had we been
caring for a new
baby plus our two other children, we would never have
been involved in
that ministry. Over a period of about 11 years we had
the opportunity
to lead about 25 of those children to the saving grace
of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Today those children are grown and have
children of their
own. Some of them teach Sunday School and have led
their own children
to the Lord. They tell me that the teaching in our
home and the
enjoyment of having their neighborhood friends all
gathering together
at our house to learn about God's Word was the
incentive that led them
to their belief and desire to serve today."
How
often
believers through the ages have drawn strength and
assurance from the
wonderful promise in our daily text. It was one of the
first verses we
memorized as young Christians and we have often obtained
assurance by
meditating on it. It is also a great truth to share with
others in the
course of ministering comfort during a time of loss or
trial.In our reading of Romans 8:28 we tend to focus on the first part and particularly the phrase “works for the good”. But today let us consider the final phrase, “who have been called according to His purpose”. His purpose is always good, whether expressed toward the individual or to the cosmos. In Ephesians 3:11 Paul writes of God’s “eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Summing up God’s purpose in a single thought or phrase is bound to be deficient but theologian J.I. Packer attempts to do so with this thought: “God’s purpose, here and hereafter, is to keep expressing His love in Christ to us".
Or, as Oswald Chambers observes, “I thought God’s purpose was to make me full of happiness and joy. It is, but it is happiness and joy from God’s standpoint, not from mine". Amen, and that’s the rub; we must be continually seeking to understand God’s standpoint.
Today
God is still
working all things out according to His purpose. His
peace prevails
when we realize that His almighty purpose cannot be
thwarted. In a
rather obscure verse from the prophet Isaiah we read, “For
the LORD
Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him?
His hand is
stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah
14:27). The
answer to both questions is an absolute resounding “NO
ONE!”When seminary Professor E.C. Caldwell ended his lecture he said to his class of students, “Tomorrow, I will be teaching on Romans 8. So tonight, as you study, pay special attention to verse 28. Notice what this verse truly says, and what it doesn’t say.” Then he added, “One final word before I dismiss you—whatever happens in all the years to come, remember: Romans 8:28 will always hold true.”
That same day Dr. Caldwell and his wife had a tragic car-train accident. She was killed instantly and he was crippled permanently. Months later, Professor Caldwell returned to his students, who clearly remembered his last words. The room was hushed as he began his lecture. “Romans 8:28,” he said, “still holds true. One day we shall see God’s good, even in this".*
I count on
one
thing
The same God that never fails
Will not fail me now
You won't fail me now
In the waiting
The same God who's never late
Is working all things out
You're working all things out.
(from song "Yes I Will")
The same God that never fails
Will not fail me now
You won't fail me now
In the waiting
The same God who's never late
Is working all things out
You're working all things out.
(from song "Yes I Will")
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, what
tremendous comfort the Scriptures bring when I
consider the uncertainties of life. About the time I
get comfortable or
think I’ve figured out what the future holds I am
thrown a ringer. I’m
so grateful for passages of reassurance such as
Romans 8:28 that
reminds me You’re working on my behalf even though
evil is prevalent
and I’m often affected by its presence. As a
blood-bought child of
Yours, You have called me to work Your purpose and
will for my life.
What You have purposed for me cannot be thwarted
though the enemy may
stalk me or make me his target. After all, since You
are for us, who
can be against us. Help me to receive Your deep
abiding peace even in
the midst of difficult and perplexing situations,
because I know that
You use even those circumstances for our long-range
good. May our
trusting response to these undesirable sufferings
prove to believers
and unbelievers alike that we are becoming more and
more like Your Son,
Jesus Christ. Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"All Things Work Together" Video Vessels of Mercy
"All Things" Video Covenant Worship
"This
Is My
Father's World" Video Norton Hall
Band
"All
Things
Work Together" Video Twila Paris
"All Things Work Together" Video Vessels of Mercy
"All Things" Video Covenant Worship
"Yes
I Will" Video
Vertical Worship
*
Illustration
from “Our Daily Bread”
The birthplace of Robert Fulton the inventor of the steamboat among other inventions is right here in Lancaster County.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
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Weber".Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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