I’m taking a detour from 2 Peter momentarily to press into the purposes of God.  It’s something that God has been pressing into my own heart lately, and so I feel like God has a message for us all.  There are some harsh realities that once settled in your heart I believe can actually be freeing to you as a Christian.  Often times, when life does not go as we had hoped, we take solace in Romans 8:28 – that all things work together for good for those who are called according to his (God’s) purpose.

When suffering comes; when we experience disappointment for a variety of reasons, when we have loss in our lives, we can rest in knowing that God is in control, and He is good.  What we don’t often do enough of, is remind ourselves that our joy (and God’s purpose) is not rooted in what measure of happiness that we can have in this world, but in eternity.  If we continue into Romans 8:29-30 we see God’s purpose for us and how he is able to work “all things together for good” – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

The good news of the gospel is that we get God for eternity.  The gospel does not promise us an easy life – Jesus Himself actually says the opposite in John 16:33 – “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus overcame the world, and that by faith, we share in His victory.  When we look at bad things in our lives, maybe even things we would “regret”, we can know that God has purposed everything for the good purpose of securing our own faith, growing our hearts closer to His, and making us more like Him in holiness. I don’t mean to minimize the joy in God’s blessings on this side of eternity, but my hope is that the joy of our hearts, our greatest hopes and affections, would be rooted not in this world or anything it can offer, but in our Creator, who loves us, has saved us, and who has infinite joy awaiting us in eternity.

My hope is that your hearts would always be full of joy in God, but I know there will be days for all of us when that is a struggle.  Stay encouraged – our eternity, our next million, billion, trillion years are so beyond what we could ever hope for – and Jesus will never let you go.  Romans 8:18 – the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Grace and Peace,

Adam