Henceforth, all things shall be working for my good, for your good and for our good in Jesus name, amen.

PREAMBLE

Romans 28:8 states that

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. King James Bible

I think that I like and prefer how this verse is rendered by other versions of the Bible else from King James. Hence, we have these:

New International Version
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

New Living Translation
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.

English Standard Version
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Berean Study Bible
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Berean Literal Bible
And we know that God works together all things for good to those loving God, to those being called according to His purpose,

New American Standard Bible
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

The key word in this verse of the scripture that I want to draw our attention to is that ALL THINGS, are CAUSED, MADE or WORKED by GOD HIMSELf . As such, such thing caused by Him works for good. Only to those that do not only love the Lord, but they that work according to His purpose.

Do you love the Lord and is your life as a Christian in accordance to the purpose of which you were called?

While pondering on this question, I would like to quickly share a story which I guess you may have heard before.

There was a pastor or an Evangelist who was really great at the things/work of God that almost everything he said/prophesies he made came to pass, but one; and this made him denounce his faith immediately without a second thought.

This young preacher had a crusade and it was a soul outreach convention which he had sunk in a lot of resources into it with the aim of winning souls for Christ. The event of course was a remarkable one.

After the wonderful praises and testimonies by old converts on how God has been using this man of God to turn things around in their lives, the Evangelist mounted the podium to preach.
And just then, the cloud gathered to signal that there was gonna be a heavy downpour. No doubt, the people were really worried because they feared that they would be totally soaked in the rain if it falls. Owing to this, I guess that the pastor out of concern for those people so that they won't be soaked and also in the process run around for shelter, thereby interrupting the message, the pastor openly declared thus:

"If I be a man of God whom God has called and ordained, there shall be no rain till this programme is over and the members have all returned to their houses. If rain falls now that I'm preaching, I will just drop my Biblee and denounce my faith immediately"

You know the attitude of people. Some of them believed, others doubted this prayer and were even praying that it should rain so that the man's declaration may not stand. And as if the rain was just waiting for that proclamation, it rained cat and dog and everybody ran amiss for shelter. The pastor frustratingly left the stage without even remembering to take a bow out. ### LOL ###

Please pardon me, I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm just trying to ease tension. A kind of comic relief.

That was just the end of the pastor's Ministry and work in the vineyard cause he took into drinking.

However, many years after, the pastor was drinking in one of the liquour stores when he overhear people arguing about his identity. The other man insisted that he knew him very well that he would have even shot or stabbed him to dead on that very day that rain fell during the last CONVENTION the pastor held. The pastor who pretended to be drunk lined back to his seat to here the full story.

At the end, the pastor had to weep uncontrollably when he got to discover that that same day that it rained, would have been the day that he would have been aimed and shot to death by a sniper. But God cause the heavy down pour which made the vision/sniper lens to malfunction.

Glory, that just how he got saved from death. But poor/foolish him, he gave up on God thinking that God has brought him shame.

WHERE DID HE GO WRONG?

He had forgotten that that same same God had been honouring all his open declarations in the past .

He also failed to know that if at all God should not answer his petition, such cannot make Him less God or stop from being GOD ALMIGHTY.

He also went wrong because of his ignorance that God's ways are not our ways and that the way He answers our prayers and heart cry must not always be as we wanted it to be.

LESSONS LEARNT

Do not fail to thank God in EVERY and in ANY condition that we find ourselves.

Humans easily forget the good things that you did FOR them, but would always live to remember one bad thing you did TO them.

God is a mysterious God and He always does His things in MYSTERIOUS ways. Hence watch out for His miracles and share the TESTIMONIES to all.
Having shared the story of the pastor, I would still like to ask the question:
Do you love the Lord and is your life as a Christian in accordance to the purpose of which you were called?
I'm sure that by this time, you most have made up your mind and have got an answer to the question.

PRAYER

Lord please help me to love you in Jesus name, amen.

Father Lord, please teach and help me to work in accordance to the purpose of my calling.

Lord Jesus, please help me know and trust that you would always turn things around for my good cause I love you.

God Bless you.