All of us love the idea that no matter how many wrong choices we make, God can restore and redeem us. While it's a fact that God can turn all sorts of misfortune and unwanted events into something beautiful, it's wrong to assume that He will always do that to everyone all of the time.
And why is that? It's because He only does that according to His purposes.
No Twisting
Friends, it's wrong to assume that God is on our side if we aren't on His side. If we aren't for Him in the first place, what makes us think that He'll do what we want? He is God, and we're not. He's not our slave.
That said, we should never twist the truth of the word of God. In Romans 8:28, we were told,
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
Reading this short verse, we find two good reasons why we shouldn't assume that all things will always turn out right all the time for all people.
1) It's for those who love God
First, we read that all things work for good to those who love God. If you don't love God, then don't expect that to happen to you.
"But I love God!" you may say. Well, there's only one qualifier that proves our love for Him, and it's obedience to what He says. The Lord Jesus Himself said,
"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)
If we truly love God, then we'll read His word and obey it. When we obey the word of God, we make the right decisions all the time. And when we make the right decisions all the time, why should we worry about what could happen?
Simply put, if we love God, we obey Him. If we obey Him, we see the results that He wants. No matter what we go through, because we are in God's will, we will see God-given results.
2) It's for those who walk in the purposes of God
We should also remember that all things work for good to those who are walking in the purposes and plans of God. We can't expect God to undo our mistakes and keep cleaning up after us as we go and do what we want. He is not our janitor.
Think about what James said about why we don't receive the answers to some of our prayers:
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:3)
How many times has God ignored our requests, simply because it's only for our own purposes and glory? How many times have we asked God for something, only to realize later on that He didn't give what we asked for because it wasn't in line with His will for us?
Simply put, if we are living for ourselves and not for Him, we should expect to face troubles that we have caused upon ourselves.
God's redeeming love
Still, despite all our selfishness and self-centeredness, God is a merciful and loving Father who wants us all back to Him. He is patient, and His patience means salvation for all of us. While we are still busy with our own agendas, God does not stop loving us.
The only thing that He wants for us is to surrender to Him. He wants us to stop running away from Him, to stop living for ourselves, and to stop trying to live without Him. He loves us and constantly waits for us to repent of our selfishness and start living for Him.
And when we do, He rejoices greatly.
Friends, I urge you. Let's stop thinking of ourselves too highly. Let's realize that we are all sinners in need of God's grace and mercy, found in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christ is God's redemption for us. He has redeemed us, and paid the price for us to receive the ultimate good: our reconciliation with God through His blood that was shed on the cross.
Come to Jesus, friends. Let's come to Jesus.
