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04ctd · 04-15-2015, 11:32 PM

Do You Believe It
Bill Money

"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
Do we believe this to be true? That is always the question when we read Scripture -- do we believe it to be true? Is it just a nice devotional thought? Or is it the very words of God?

From our perspective, things don't look like they're always working for good. A good friend was recently killed in a motorcycle accident in Thailand. That requires me to evaluate this statement - is it true? If so, then mourning is turned to celebration. You see, the essence of faith believes that what God has told me is true, not based on what I observe or understand.

This passage gives us tremendous hope. It reinforces once again that we live in a supernatural world -- a world where God's supernatural presence has invaded our very limited understanding. And we can count on Him to turn difficult situations to good. This is supernatural expectation.

Consider Matthew 6:33: "but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."

This tells us that our task is to seek first His kingdom and His task is to provide all of our needs. We can depend on God to provide everything we need in all respects, all the time. But do we believe it? Do we act as if we believe it?

As we choose to believe these passages (and it is a choice) we come to that amazing hope, hope in God that He has every issue under control, hope that the difficult circumstances we are going through are planned by Him and are for our good and His glory.

Hope that every situation we face is not beyond our capabilities as He works through us (Philippians 4.13: "I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me." This is hope: not Pollyanna-wishful-thinking, but rather a solid confidence of faith in the One Who has promised and is capable of fulfilling the promise.

The challenge for us is to take His promises at face value, to believe them to be true, and then to act as if we believe.

04-15-2015, 11:32 PM	#316
04ctd Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ladson SC Posts: 4,388	Devotion: Do You Believe It Do You Believe It Bill Money "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 Do we believe this to be true? That is always the question when we read Scripture -- do we believe it to be true? Is it just a nice devotional thought? Or is it the very words of God? From our perspective, things don't look like they're always working for good. A good friend was recently killed in a motorcycle accident in Thailand. That requires me to evaluate this statement - is it true? If so, then mourning is turned to celebration. You see, the essence of faith believes that what God has told me is true, not based on what I observe or understand. This passage gives us tremendous hope. It reinforces once again that we live in a supernatural world -- a world where God's supernatural presence has invaded our very limited understanding. And we can count on Him to turn difficult situations to good. This is supernatural expectation. Consider Matthew 6:33: "but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." This tells us that our task is to seek first His kingdom and His task is to provide all of our needs. We can depend on God to provide everything we need in all respects, all the time. But do we believe it? Do we act as if we believe it? As we choose to believe these passages (and it is a choice) *we come to that amazing hope, hope in God that He has every issue under control, hope that the difficult circumstances we are going through are planned by Him and are for our good and His glory.* Hope that every situation we face is not beyond our capabilities as He works through us (Philippians 4.13: "I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me." This is hope: not Pollyanna-wishful-thinking, but rather a solid confidence of faith in the One Who has promised and is capable of fulfilling the promise. The challenge for us is to take His promises at face value, to believe them to be true, and then to act as if we believe. __________________ 1 Timothy 3:16 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.