All Things Work Together

In his letter to the believers in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.

All things work together for good, not for our prosperity and enrichment in worldly things; not to deliver us from pain and sickness in this present world; not for our ease and comfort in pleasure; not for worldly honors and popularity, but for good.

"If this 'good' is not any of these things, then what is it? Paul tells us as he continues his letter, To be conformed to the image of His son, that is our good; our supreme good which involves and includes every other good possible for us,"  that from columnist John R. Gunn.

God's chief design for us is that we may be like His son, Jesus Christ, in spirit and character; in disposition and behaviour. Not of themselves are all things working for good. God is behind the 'all things'.

In some of the ancient manuscripts the sentence begins, God worketh all things. It is not a haphazard working; it is not a matter of chance or happenso - God is doing the working, but we must remember that God is not working apart from us; He is not working arbitrarily and independently of us.

The original Greek permits this translation of Paul's letter, God worketh all things for good, together with them who love Him. Mark the words 'together with'.

It's up to us to work together with Him in all the trials and experiences of life. After all what more secure and satisfying partnership could we have?