And we know that God...

             That is how Romans 8:28 begins in the New Living Translation. I heard this as I was driving down I-65 in Alabama Monday a week ago. It was the focal passage of a message by Chuck Swindol. I was channel surfing because we had gone out of range of the previous station that I liked and had to find another or turn the radio off (no XM). So I hit search and off it went to the next station and the next and the next until I heard this familiar voice and stopped to listen. That “chance” listen turned into an obsession with that passage and this week with that phrase.

Honestly, I did not know that would be on the radio. Most of life is like that, we just don’t know and to be honest it drives us crazy not knowing. Even those “fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants” people like to “know” a few things now and again. Looking at the past year and then to the next year there is much we know about the past and at the same time much we don’t really know. Take for instance as you are reading this you know you are still breathing. Don’t smell your breath to be sure, it might not be pleasant. But on the flip side if you were honest you don’t really know how it is you are still breathing considering what you faced last year. At the time you didn’t even know if you would make it this far but here you are questionable breath and all (insert a tic-tac HERE). So what do we know?

Paul pens for us what we do know as believers…also all that we need to know, GOD. So, we need to ask a different question! Not WHAT but WHO, because who you know makes all the difference. For a believer God makes everything different, new, reborn. God is the breath of life, the Word of hope, the Joy of living, the Light and Life of men. Who makes all the difference! And we know that God… is more than just a phrase it is life and living our hope. I read this Friday morning:

“Hope is defined as faith that all circumstances work to deepen our relationship with Christ and reconfirm our salvation.” The Disciples Study Bible NIV, Romans 8:28-35, pg. 1430

Once again it is not the “what” we trust but “who.” That’s how Jesus lived here among us. Jesus thought differently. That is the pattern even when he had no certainty of what was going to happen he trusted his heavenly Father. His hope came from who he know and not what.  Peter writes to us and other believers how our thinking needs to change.

^1-2 Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. 1 Peter 4:1-2 The Message       

 

In HIS Service and yours,

Bro G