Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of lyrics and worship from Don Men singing praise to God in his song … God Is Good … gloriously singing praise that our God truly is good … ALL THE TIME … even when we don’t understand His plans or purposes for us.
=============
Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 8:23 … [NLT] …
23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,[a] including the new bodies he has promised us.
… Our hope … our longing is always the promise of eternal life with Christ.
=============
Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 8:22-28 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… No matter what we must endure in this fallen world, GOD IS GOOD!
=============
Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 120: 1 [NKJV] …
1 I took my troubles to the Lord; … I cried out to Him, and He answered.
… But sometimes we don’t really want to hear His answer, do we?
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Matthew 26:42 [NKJV] …
42 Then Jesus left them [His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane] a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
… Even Jesus had a time when He wished there could be another way to travel.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] …
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
… Yes, … REALLY …, fellow believer … ALL THINGS!
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, used a very personal illustration to teach about God’s goodness in times of suffering. The ODB author wrote: I thanked God for the privilege of serving as my mom’s live-in caregiver during her battle against leukemia. When medicines began to hurt more than help, she decided to stop treatment. “I don’t want to suffer anymore,” she said. “I want to enjoy my last days with family. God knows I’m ready to go home.”
I pleaded with our loving heavenly Father—the Great Physician—confident He could work miracles. But to say yes to my mom’s prayers, He would have to say no to mine. Sobbing, I surrendered, “Your will be done, Lord.”
There are times, especially when we’re suffering, that we pray for God to take away the suffering. And yet, He doesn’t. … In those times, we’d love for him to take life in a way different direction than it seems to be going. But, as with the story from today’s ODB author, God may not take life in the direction of our personal desires.
Even Jesus had that kind of a moment, didn’t He, … in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He was headed to the cross in those final hours, when He knew He was about to experience suffering greater than His manhood could stand [see Matt. 26:42]. But Jesus’s divinity fully recognized that His suffering was for the good of His Father’s plan to save mankind. So, He surrendered to God’s will over His own desire for a release from suffering.
Yes, my friends; … Romans 8:28 is true … ALWAYS! And, as with the story related by the ODB author today, there are going to be times when we have to declare that “God is good” … even when it most certainly doesn’t feel good
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … LORD, … Your way is always the right way; … even when I don’t want to travel that road. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment