ALL THINGS FOR GOOD

Have you ever felt like you are in a hockey game, getting beaten badly? Maybe you just had "one of those days", where everything seemed to go wrong, for no apparent fault of your own? I have had a few of those days myself, and though they are not enjoyable, I do find peace and assurance in this one important truth; "God works all things for the good of him who is called to His purpose"(Romans 8:28). Consider that statement for a moment - God is using all the events which occur in our lives, both positive and negative experiences, and is bringing good from it all! Now we either embrace and believe this or we don't, but personally I choose to take God at His Word. However, there is an important key to this promise being fulfilled; we must be living daily for Jesus Christ, living to fulfill His purposes, not our own. This is not to say that we have to be perfect; simply surrendered to His will and living for Him with our whole heart. Remember, God isn't so concerned about our perfection and He is our direction - following Jesus every day! Over time we can see how God uses our challenges to bring about something good, although we usually don't see how all of the pieces fit into place - only the Master Builder sees the master plan. Nevertheless, we do see enough evidence to know that God is genuinely at work in our lives, guiding our paths and our footsteps. Psalm 37 tells us that "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by God." What a comfort it is to know that God is directing my life, opening and closing doors, and helping me to fulfill my divine destiny each day!