Romans 8:28-30 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Please read these verses very carefully. These verses are misunderstood more than about any that I know of in the Scriptures. Perhaps, if you have time, write down what you think these verses are saying to us as believers. When you write something down it forces you to really come to grips with words and remember words matter.

I believe the biggest problem is the word 'good.' Many want to snatch this word out of the context of these verses and make it say something that is not there. I would say about half of the people that do this 'good' thing are people who have sinned and are trying to justify what they have done. They will say, "Well, pastor, you know God works these things out for the good." The question is for the good of what? The what comes down to the purpose. This 'good' is tied to those who have been called according to His purpose. In verse 29 the purpose is revealed as His followers becoming like Jesus Christ. We will sin, but it is not so we can become more like Jesus Christ. When we sin we must repent and ask God for forgiveness. When God forgives He wipes the sin away forever. I am not saying that God can't take our sins and use them for His glory. What I am saying is God does not take our sin and help us become like Jesus Christ.

I believe in predestination, but not as the many of the philosophers speak about this subject. Most who believe in predestination wind up becoming fatalist. They will say, "Well it is God's will." When they say that it means we are to just sit back in whatever circumstance and just take it. The atheist who is a fatalist sees the world in that the fix is in the DNA. We have no control over our circumstances, therefore we just hang on for the ride. No where in the Scriptures does it teach fatalism. Look at the context of the word predestined and you will find that it is in context of Christ followers being conformed to Christ's image. We as followers of Christ are destined to be like Jesus. If any fix is in, it is that God is going to deliver on His promise!

Are you aiming to become like Jesus Christ in your character and in your mission? What action steps are you taking on a daily basis to create an environment for this growth to happen?

A Christian is:
a mind through which Christ thinks;
a heart through which Christ loves;
a voice through which Christ speaks;
a hand through which Christ helps.

Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

All of us need help at one time or another. The truth be told we need more help than we care to admit. It is not in most peoples nature to say that they are weak. We have all been told, "put your best foot forward or there is no second chance for a first impression." People have learned that others can exploit your weakness. However, that is not the way of the church and for certain is not the way of the Lord. I am not saying it doesn't happen in the church; it is not the way of love.

The Lord knows how weak we are and especially in the area of prayer. One leader says we are a ten in some area but we also are a one in some other area. The Spirit of the Lord has come to set us free, to give us victory over sin, and to help us in our prayer life. I do not know the inner workings of the Spirit, but we can trust Him that when we pray God is there to help and not to exploit our weakness. The Spirit of God does not work independently of God's will. This is a comforting thought when we are trying to intercede for ourselves, friends, and family. There is a mystery in the prayer life. Join in the mystery and ask God to use you.


As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)

Romans 8:22-25 (NIV)
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Listen to Paul's words as he describes what creation is experiencing while awaiting it's redemption. He is saying it is "groaning" as if it is in labor. We, with the Spirit in us, also groan as we await our adoption. This is the tension that we have to live in. It is the tightrope that we must walk in this life. The temptation is to go off and isolate ourselves in order to moan and groan in private until our Savior arrives. The other option is to join the world in full force and drown out the moaning by all the stuff here. We must not choose either of these options, but rather choose to live here with His light shining through us even though we groan. When I sit down with my unchurched friends or my lost churched friends and get real about the pain of this life and the difficulties I have faced, that does not send them packing, it draws them. Life is not pain free. Life is not without loss. What we need is hope. This hope of which Paul refers to is not hope in hope. The hope we need is rooted and grounded in the truth that we are children of God. God is coming back for us and in this we can have our hope. We have hope right here and now that the life we live for Christ is not going to be tossed out at the end of the game. We have hope of transformation and even the transformation of the society we live in. The two great awakenings brought with them tremendous societal transformation. Perhaps, and this is the kicker, we must wait patiently!! Wow, anything but that word. Waiting is bad enough, but to wait patiently is to say we cannot wait with an "attitude."



Here is a little exercise you can try today. Every hour, on the hour, purposely connect or reconnect with God.