Sunday, 13th December 2009
I was reading the Daily Devo on 6 December and noted that the scripture verse for the day was Rom 8:28, which is one of my favourite verses and the constant rhema word for me, given what has been happening over the past 3 years.
Upon doing so, I felt the Lord prompting me to write a letter to Rev Peter Koh, the outgoing senior pastor of my church, which is reproduced below:
To: Rev Peter Koh
Date: Sunday, 6th December 2009, 9:36pm
Subject: Rom 8:28
Dear Rev Koh
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Not sure if you remember the conversation we had in your room back in July 2007, when you told me to step down as Treasurer and cell leader. I recall at the end of the discussion telling you that I hold fast to Rom 8:28.
As I look back over the past 29 months, God has indeed caused all things to work together for good. The years just get better and better.
In 2008, God gave me a new job, my son a new kidney and my wife and I a brand-new BMW.
In 2009, He has really prospered me in my career, providing me with the means to tithe up to 3 times more than last year. Just a week ago, He also allowed me to end my sabbatical from PLMC. This has truly been a dektos year whereby His free favours profusely abound!
Oh ya, Villa also won Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U. That has never happened before in my lifetime...
And I believe that 2010 is going to be even better than this year :-)
God has no favourites, so I want to encourage you to claim Rom 8:28 for yourself. Even though circumstances may not be what you would like them to be at the moment, continue to trust God that He knows the plans for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.
Do not kick against the goads any longer. The grace gospel is not heresy nor is it antinomian. Rather, it is the power of God unto the complete well-being of men. The sooner you discover this for yourself, the sooner you will be aligning yourself with all the promises God has in store for you. When that happens, I am sure He will bless and prosper your ministry in Living Hope Methodist Church beyond what you can ever ask or imagine.
In closing, please let me share with you that daily devo for today that incidentally, is on Rom 8:28. May it be a rhema word of Christ for you too :-)
Shalom
Malcolm
God Makes All Things Work Together For Good
Romans 8:28
28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
In this verse, “all things” is literally all things — the good, the bad and the ugly! Now, it does not mean that all things are from God. Some things, such as accidents, sicknesses, broken relationships and divorces are not from Him. They are from the devil or just part of the fallen world that we live in. But what this verse does tell us is that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. That is our inheritance as God’s beloved children.
Do the people of the world have this inheritance? No. When bad things happen to them, they are what they are — bad things. But when bad things happen to the children of God, it does not end there. God can make those bad things work together for good. In other words, the devil may throw lemons at you, but God can take those lemons and make refreshing lemonade for you!
For example, if you have been retrenched, believe that God, who makes all things work together for good, has a better job for you. Indeed, we have received testimonies from church members who have ended up with better jobs and higher salaries after they were retrenched.
It is important you remember that God is not behind anything bad or ugly. But when those things happen, know that He can make all things work together for good. And don’t let anyone tell you that all things will work together for good only if you love God and are called according to His purpose. These two things are not conditions but descriptions of believers. Believers are those who love God because they know that God first loved them. (1 John 4:19) And they are called according to His purpose for they have been born again and belong to Him.
My friend, because you have been born again, all things in your life will work together for good. This is your inheritance as a beloved child of God!
Thought of The Day: God is not behind anything bad or ugly. When those things happen, know that He can make all things work together for good.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2009
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