Sister2Sister

And we know that

God causes all things to work together for good

to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.

~ Romans 8:28

Good morning my precious sister!

Are you believing today that God is causing all the things in your life to be working together for good? 

I think I’ve probably asked you that before! It’s something that I ponder a lot, especially when I can’t see what God is seeing. That’s when it’s really important to remember God’s faithfulness in our past, how He brings us from faith to faith, glory to glory, if we are willing! (Rom 1:17, 2Cor3:18) 

We know this is true because  the phrase that follows God working all things together for good is “to those who love God”! The child of God loves her Abba! He delights in our prayers, He loves to give us good things!

Our heavenly Father loves us enough to send His Holy Spirit to live in us, bringing us into an ever growing, loving relationship with Himself. Think about it, why wouldn’t He want good for us? Even us, being evil by comparison, want to give good things to our children. (Matthew 7:11) How much more does a Holy, loving Father want to give good things to those who ask Him?

Ah, but we don’t always get what we ask for, do we? (and, like children, we fret and complain, moan and groan!) That’s where the second condition of God’s promise comes in. First, we must love Him, Second, we must be walking in His will, obedient to the call according to His purposes, not our own.

Oooh, that’s a little more challenging, especially when we’re tempted to just skip over the asking part and go full steam ahead with our plan. This can really be a snare if we have the means to implement that good plan ourselves! But don’t be fooled, dear sister, we don’t know what we may have missed when we choose our way over God’s way!

And don’t feel alone, the very first woman on earth chose to not walk in her calling. While thinking she had a better plan for good than God, she ate the forbidden fruit! Sadly, Eve forfeited the working of all the good things the Lord had planned for her. And men and women are still suffering the ramifications of her plan to this day. (Gen 3)

Other times God’s grace allows our prayers to go seemingly unanswered and we don’t understand why until we finally see the conclusion of His plan.

Think of the sisters, Martha & Mary, even though they knew Jesus personally, they struggled with God’s plan for their brother Lazarus. He was sick unto death; they nursed him and they prayed for him! They even sent for their beloved friend Jesus with hopes of His healing touch. Jesus, however, had a different plan, His Father’s plan. He did not arrive until Lazarus had been dead for several days. Both sisters said to Him that their brother would not have died if He had come earlier. They could only see their plan.

But now we know that God had a much grander plan! Jesus called Lazarus to come out of that grave! And he did! ( John 11) 

Praise God! Thousands of years later, God’s good plan is still to call us out of our tombs of misery, hopelessness and sin into a brand new life as well! Thank you Jesus!

Even though we love God and want to walk in His calling for us, we shouldn’t be surprised if we struggle with wanting to work out our own plans. Be careful though, even though we repent and the Lord forgives us, we may still have to live with the consequences of not walking according to His calling. Like Eve, our neglect of God’s calling could affect our own families for generations to come.

How to know God’s calling for you? Seek wisdom! Wisdom’s voice cries aloud in the streets, it is not hidden away! (Prov 1:20) Read your Bible, follow the advice of Godly people you respect, pray! The Holy Spirit will guide you, encourage you and equip you with all that you need to remain faithfully patient while God unfolds His good plan for your life.

So, my beloved sister, why not save ourselves unnecessary trouble and just accept His plans? Easy, right? We know that He loves us, He gave His Son Jesus to cleanse us from the sin that separates us from Him, and the Holy Spirit will always lead us in the way of His righteousness and holiness if we listen. 

That is His calling for you and for me! Let’s walk together in all the good that God has for us!

Keep loving Jesus and moving forward!

With love, your sister, Celeste