God is in Charge

God is in Charge
Words of Faith 9-21-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 8
    [28] 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.

     How do we deal with a world filled with both blessing and tragedy? How do we answer the questions raised by floods, earthquakes, and shootings? We often turn to Romans 8:28, which is something of a centerpiece of Christian comfort. Here we find this massive thought: God is sovereign. God is in charge. In both the blessings and in the disasters, God is always at work and has a purpose. As we ponder floods in Tennessee, earthquakes in Haiti, and the ravages of a pandemic, this text does give comfort, but it is no easy answer.
     If we are honest, people tend to see the sovereignty of God as either a threat or as a comfort. The difference really turns on whether we understand and receive God's love or not.  Sovereignty means "supreme control," If we think of God as angry or vengeful, then we struggle to trust the supreme control of God. But if we understand and receive God's love, we learn to trust His sovereign control no matter what. So, which one is correct?  
     Romans 8:28 sheds great light. In the analysis, both are correct. As believers, we can take great comfort in Romans 8:28 because we know that in all things God is working for the good of those who love Him, and who have been called according to His purpose. For the believer, this is a masterpiece of faith. We can indeed trust God in both good and difficult times.  
     However, we often miss the fact that the promise of Romans 8:28 is clearly not for the unsaved. The promise of Romans 8:28 is not for the godless or the wicked. Romans 1:18 is crystal clear that "the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness." There is no comfort in the sovereignty of God if we have never trusted Him by faith. God is still at work in all things and that work is indeed for good, but it is for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His will.
     To apply Romans 8:28 to an unbeliever, no matter how well intentioned, is a lie. God is not at work for "the good" of the wicked, except if we consider that even the wrath of God is good because it is just. We cannot give Romans 8:28 as reassurance to unbelievers because it was never written that way. I may wish it were not so, but this cannot be changed.
     The one hope may be that a lost person has indeed been "called according to His purpose." Perhaps the events of life, tragic or blessed, are being used by God to draw that unbeliever to faith. But that is the best that we can offer to a world that refuses His grace.  Romans 1:18 would be far more honest and may actually call such a person to a decision.
       It really boils down to a choice that God has offered: Do you want to live IN Romans 8:28 or OUTSIDE of it? Do you want to abide IN the sovereign love and promise of God by grace or outside? Romans 8:28 or 1:18?

       Lord, I choose to receive Your free offer of grace.  I choose to love You.  I choose to respond to Your call.  I choose to surrender to Your purpose.  I trust Your sovereign plan for my life.  In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.