All Things Work Together for Good but How?
“Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning” Proverbs 9: 7-9.
These verses reveal one of the big differences between the wicked and the righteous, the foolish and the wise. To read the rest of the passage for context, click here.
Herein the lies the secret of why “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” Romans 8: 28.
Do Those Who Love God Only Experience Good Things?
It certainly isn’t because those who love God only experience good and pleasant and agreeable things. It’s because they respond in faith, obedience and love to the difficult and painful trials that come their way.
Indeed, the reason Romans 8: 28 is true is because of the way the righteous respond to trials, difficulties, and rebuke. If they responded like the wicked who have no faith, those trials wouldn’t work for their good any more than they do for the wicked.
But because the righteous love God, they respond in faith and obedience. This is the secret to having all manner of trials and difficulties work for your good.
All Thing Work Together for Good because The More Difficult the Trial, the Greater the Potential
The more difficult and painful our trials, the greater potential they have of transforming us, if we respond correctly. And that’s why they work for the good of those who love God.
Our destiny is determined by our character which is developed by our habits, which are established by our actions. And this is even more true when we act in righteousness and wisdom in the face of painful trials.
In other words, the harder it is to do the right thing, the more character we develop because of it.
A foolish man can be given an identical rebuke by the same person as a wise man and the wise man will turn it into a blessing by heeding it, learning from it and changing his ways.
The foolish man, on the other hand will turn it into a curse by rejecting it and ripping the rebuker to shreds. So, he misses out on the opportunity to learn and change and grow. And he also brings judgment upon himself in his judgment of the rebuker.
To the Degree We are Mature, to that Degree are We Blessed
The wise man will use it as an opportunity to grow and mature. And to the degree we are mature, to that degree will we be blessed. All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose because they believe they do.
They believe that everything they go through, especially the most painful, difficult trials will bring them closer to maturity. And the abundant life in the promise land. They believe all things are an expression of God’s love and grace to them.
Because either they are the blessing, or they are preparing them for the blessing. We can never have more outwardly in our circumstances than we do inwardly in our character. At least not for long.
All Things Work Together for Good because Trials are Steppingstones
And the righteous see these difficult trials as steppingstones to that inward maturity that produces outward abundance. “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” Psalm 84: 11.
In other words, our lives lack nothing when our character lacks nothing. And those difficult trials and painful rebukes are just the ticket if we respond in faith.
The righteous see painful rebukes as God trying to help them mature so they can be more blessed and bring Him more glory. The wicked see them as a personal assault on their character that is hurtful and therefore must be put down.
In other words, the righteous see it as an expression of the truth the “God is love” 1 John 4: 8. The wicked have no such faith but walk by sight. They take their circumstances only at face value.
So, to them, because they are short-sighted and the rebuke is painful and humiliating, it’s an indication that God hates them.
The Same Wilderness that Destroyed the Wicked Prepared the Righteous
The same wilderness that destroyed most of the Israelites because they refused to see it as preparation for the promise land did, in fact, prepare and mature some of them. Namely, Joshua and Calab and the next generation were prepared for the glorious land flowing with milk and honey.
Was the desert more painful and difficult for the ones who fell than the ones who didn’t? If it was, it was only because of the foolish choices they were making. But they were all in the same boat when they first set out from Egypt.
The only difference is that Joshua and Caleb and the next generation chose to believe they were in fact headed for the promise land. And the ones who perished didn’t.
The first group continued to believe God is love, and the second group didn’t. And it was done to each of them according to their faith.
To read another post related All Things Work Together for Good but How? to see Do Not Grow Weary in Well Doing Like Balaam.