All Things Work for Good

"For we know that all things work for good for those who love God who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

This verse is one of the hardest to accept and to believe.

All things.


It does not say that some things work for good. That I could believe quite easily. But this means that the messy works for good.

That my brokenness works for good.

That my struggles work for good.

That my weakness works for good.


All things. That includes those parts of my life and of me that I like the very least. The things about myself that I do not love.

God uses it all for good.

The good, the bad, the ugly, the messy. He uses all of it for good and there is nothing you and I can do to change that if we let Him have it all..

He will use your struggle and your failure, your doubt and your fear, your insecurity and your insincerity.

He uses all of it.


This verse then, as hard as it is to believe, is what I turn to in tough moments..

Because no matter what the struggle, even when I do not know how, I do know that he WILL use it for good.

This is one of those verses to write out on a notecard. To put it somewhere you look often, to read it over and over again. So in tough moments, the words will come back to you.

"For we know that all things work for good for those who love God who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28


Be not Afraid.
~ Emily

Not Ashamed

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek.^" Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.

These were the words that stuck out to me and I wondered what they meant. That sounds silly, juvenile even. But what do those words mean?

What do those words mean to me?

 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.

What does this mean for me in my life? It does not mean that I run around with my Bible all the time trying to get people to read it. (Well that's kinda exactly what I do with this project, but people choose to read it, so that's different.)

Talking about the Bible is one thing that I do on here, for one simple reason: I feel called to talk about and share the Bible in this way with all of you.

In my (non-virtual) life however, not being ashamed of the Gospel more often than not means not being ashamed to live it out.


We notice how people live, more than we care or even notice what they have to say.  Still we look at how they live and their lives scream volumes.

I want to live the Gospel out. I do not want to even have to talk about it using words or at least not explicitly.

I think we all know the over-quoted line often attributed St. Francis.

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words."

St. Francis got what it means to not be ashamed of the Bible and he preached the Gospel with his life, with the very way he lived and breathed.


So how do we do that? How do we live the Gospel in our day to day lives?

The way we live the Gospel is first to immerse ourselves in it. To read it. To spend time in the Word not just occasionally but on a daily basis.

I know just how hard this can be. I get distracted or busy. I  try to have a Bible time everyday; actually it is a Bible and coffee time first thing in the morning.

(Full disclosure: Sometimes I totally miss this or forget. Well, I forget the Bible part... but not the coffee part...)

When I do read the Bible, sometimes nothing hits. Nothing really stands out. Most days though, I read it and one part just jumps out at me.

One verse hits me. I try to take that verse, whatever it is, throughout my day. I try to have that verse influence my day and the way that I live.


To live the Gospel, to let your life be a living proof of the Gospel... that is living the Gospel and not being ashamed to do it.

It is less about telling others what to do and more about showing it. It has a lot more to do with living it out. When you make a habit of reading the Bible, even when nothing about it stands out to you, you will stand out to others.


Let your own life be a witness to the truth of the Gospel.

Do not just read it, live it.

Be not ashamed of the Gospel.

Be not Afraid,
-Emily

Sinners All

Hey, guess what? You...are a sinner.

Don't be offended, I'm not singling you out. I'm just restating what the Bible has been telling us for centuries.

"...all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

We're all...sinners.


While that's not something we should ever be comfortable with, it is something we need to be aware of and something we need to come to terms with.

That might sound like apathy. Under NO circumstances should it be taken that way. Sin is a terrible thing. It separates us from God and goes against everything He has ordained for us. It is never okay. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and that is not something for you to EVER take lightly. I am certainly not saying that you should.

What I am saying, is that we need to accept that we're not perfect. It's important for us to admit that we mess up. In order for us to be reconciled with God and allow Him to work in us, we have to acknowledge that there's work to do.


Failure to accept and acknowledge that you are not perfect will inevitably result in one of two problems.


Problem #1- I can do no wrong.

One possible consequence of refusing to accept your sinful nature is denial of it. In this scenario, one becomes exceedingly prideful. While she knows deep down that she's flawed, she can't bring herself to come to terms with it, and so she carries on as though she is incapable of error.

This is obviously detrimental. Pride is the root of all evil, the parent of every other vice. It robs us of the ability to grow spiritually because we are unable to see where we need to grow, and so it prevents God from using us to the fullest extent.



Problem #2- I can do no right.

This is the opposite extreme. In this case, far from denying his sin, one becomes obsessed with it, focusing exclusively on what he's done wrong. He is so distraught over his sin that he doesn't trust he can be forgiven. He can't accept the fact that he (like everyone else) is a sinner, and eventually is so preoccupied with his faults that he is tempted to despair.

The problem in this situation is that it displays a pride all its own. In dwelling so much on what he's done, the sinner takes his focus away from the most important thing in all of history: what He's done. He turns his attention so far inwards and so dramatically onto his shortcomings that He won't look at the God who took it all away, and who promises to take it away all over again each time we ask Him.


The Solution

Basically, at this point, I've given a pretty depressing generalization of how messed up we all are. But never fear! There's hope!

Let's take a look at Romans 3:23, the verse in the beginning of this post, in context.


"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God—to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

     What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Are we then annulling the law by this faith? Of course not! On the contrary, we are supporting the law." Romans 3:21-31


That's a lot. Why don't we have St. John the Apostle sum it up for us?


"If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing." 1 John 1:9 


How amazing is that?! We're all sinners, but we can all be set free!

We can't earn this freedom. This is why the "I can do no wrong" approach is so messed up. Nothing we do, nothing we can accomplish can save us from ourselves. Only God can do that. We need Him to rescue us.

And He will! He will because He has, once and for all on the cross. He will because He's going to, as soon as we ask Him to take away our sin and our guilt. As soon as we acknowledge (or confess) that we've wronged Him, the minute we tell Him we're sorry, that's the moment He reaches out into the chaos we've created and calms the sea.

That's why "I can do no right" doesn't work either. We have to trust that He is Who He says He is and He will do what He says He'll do. Trusting Him means letting go of the guilt and the shame and placing it all in His nail-scarred hands. It means throwing all our fears and our temptations into His arms, and going forward in joy with the honest intention to "go and sin no more". (John 8:11)


So that's the answer. Pray for the grace to be able to say, "Lord, I'm a sinner. I have wronged your most precious and sacred heart. I am so sorry. Please take it all away. Make me a new creation and replace my shame with the peace of your Love. Give me the strength never to turn away from you again. Thank you for your mercy, Lord. Help me to love you. Amen."


I will be the first to admit that I struggle with accepting my sinful nature. I frequently fall into both of the problems described above, most often the second. In fact, that's what inspired this post; my own inability to deal with my imperfections. That's why I will be the first to pray that prayer. I hope you will too.


Yes, you're a sinner. No, you're not alone. Run to Jesus; He will set you free.


Peace be with you.
~ Caitlin




 

Still Sinners

 

 

No words need to be added for this verse. It stands totally on its own.

On a side note this summer posting is a little sporadic and all over the place because it's summer! Enjoy the sunshine and sporadic posts. :)

You are so loved.

~Emily