[And] we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28
“Good” seems to be an increasingly difficult word and concept to define. You only have to look at a few different dictionary entries to see the trouble our culture has with pinning it down. What makes it so difficult for our age is that the word demands judgment and that’s something we’re reluctant to pronounce. The result is that good has been hollowed out and is now treated like a bag of pick and mix, being filled with whatever people crave.
But even for the believer there is a danger. What is the good that God promises in this verse? We can so easily fall into the same trap, filling good with a list of beliefs that we embrace from the world rather than the Word. If we read the context leading up to this wonderful promise, we’ll see that although glory awaits those in Christ, suffering is our portion in this life. Paul says we “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (v. 23). The good God promises to work is not for health, wealth, and our best life now. Rather, it’s a deeper good, a fuller good, an ultimate good.
God as the great architect is at work in all things—that means the smallest details and the biggest events, the traffic jam and the cancer diagnosis, the missed call and the lost job. In all these things, He is working for those “called according to His purpose.” And what is that purpose? What is the deeper good He has in mind? It’s nothing less than conformity to His Son. Here is the good as God defines it: He is working every detail of life to change us to be like Jesus Christ. He is working out His purposes—in our suffering, in our weaknesses, in our joys, and in our delights—to remake us into His image. The deeper good that God is working is so much better than making our lives nice and comfortable now. Rather, it is making us into what we were always meant to be and will fully be forever: those fit to enjoy His presence.
This promise is life changing if we’ll embrace it by faith. It provides us with “steel in our spines” and joy in our hearts even as the sorrows of life wash over us. Our God is at work, no sorrow is wasted, and every trial is having its effect under God’s sovereign hand. He will work it all for our good, a deeper good than we can even imagine—the fullness of joy in His presence forever!
For Reflection
What voices are most influential in shaping your definition of good?
At the end of today, consider how significant “all things” is to this promise.
Think of the joy that awaits you in Christ and ask the Lord to help you see every trial as one of His servants, making you ready for that ultimate good.
Simon Mawhinney is a native of Northern Ireland. He pastored there for five years before moving his family to study at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. He recently graduated and has been called to a staff pastoral position at Floyds Knobs Baptist Church in southern Indiana. He is married to Lynda and they have six kids. Scripture memorization and meditation have been the greatest means of enjoying God’s presence in his life.