It depends on what you mean by “good.”

Today's Precious Prodigal Post is at = http://bit.ly/1qn9IwA It depends on what you mean by "good." #GodsPurpose Please "Like" us and "Share" this post with your Facebook friends. Wan

Romans 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.”

On the HeeHaw show, Archie Campbell used to do a “That’s Bad/That’s Good” skit. He would begin telling something that happened, and his partner would sympathize by saying, “Oh, that’s bad!” Campbell would quickly reply, “No, that’s good!” and tell about a good result. When his partner would then say, “Oh, that’s good!” Campbell would reply, “No. That’s bad.” Like that skit, the things that happen in our lives aren’t always the way they seem.

All our circumstances aren’t “good,” are they? In fact, some things that happen in our lives really are tragedies. The fact that God is working everything, even those tragedies, in my life for my good and His glory is a promise, and I believe God’s promises. At least I think I do. But those things sure don’t feel “good,” nor can I always understand how they could work out for my “good.”

The problem, I think, is that we don’t define “good” the same way God does. To us, “good” means a circumstance will make us happy. God’s plan for our “good” is that our circumstances will make us holy. We want to have peace; God wants us to develop persistence and patience. We’re concerned with our comfort; God is more concerned with our character. We want long life; God wants us to be long-suffering.

But I thought…thought what, that knowing and loving and serving the Lord made us immune from suffering? Where did you get that idea? No one has walked closer to or done more for the Lord than His disciples. Yet every one of those disciples suffered things we can’t even imagine, and all of them except one died a terrible death because of, not in spite of, their faith.

When I tell myself I should expect better because I’m God’s child, I need to remind myself that God thought it “good” to let His own dear Son suffer and die for my sins. The answer, of course, is that God’s definition of “good” is totally different from our own. God’s idea of the things that are “good” is whether they will help conform us into the image of Christ. And “good” seldom if ever equates to comfortable.

God doesn’t take pleasure in sin, and He doesn’t tempt anyone to sin. (James 1:13) The bad things that happen, the wrong things we ourselves do or the wrong things that others do to us…none of those things are “good” in themselves. I’ve experienced some of them, and so have you, so I don’t have to tell you how much they hurt.

However, even those things are subject to God’s will and God’s plan. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they certainly meant it for evil. But according to Genesis 50:20, “…God meant it unto good.” None of it was a mistake.

I don’t know what circumstances you’re facing today, what your loss might be or how your heart might be broken. And I can’t tell you that you will ever understand why that hurtful thing has come into your life. But how you and I react to those circumstances will loudly proclaim what we believe about our God. And trusting Him when we don’t understand might just give us back our joy.

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, accepted that God’s perspective is different from ours and chose to trust Him anyway?