What Do We Do With The Things

Good Morning,

Most of us are familiar with Romans 8:28 where we are told “all things work together for good (do not miss the caveat) to them that love God…”

God says that He will use all of those things you did not like, the things others did to you, the things that came due to ill health, or the things that frustrated you at work to make you better and to bring Him glory. 

Here is a similar statement we often miss:

Philippians 1:12 “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;”

Paul was talking about all that he had to face before entering prison: the injustice, the unkind acts, the lawless rulers, and the evil religious leaders. He said that those things were tools in the hand of God to help more people hear about how good He is.  The things that happened to Paul allowed him to tell others about Christ and salvation.  

In our society, the things that happen to us are used to gain pity and attention.  Situations that occur in our world today are used to get us notoriety.  The difficult or unjust obstacles we face are being used to blame God and God’s people and to throw accusations at the God Who sent His Son to die for our sins.

The obstacles that enter our lives are often used to take people away from the Gospel and the Saviour. Paul said that the things he faced brought opportunity to speak well of Jesus and the Gospel message.  

Paul believed that God is good when men are bad.  

Paul believed that the Gospel of salvation was infinitely more important than his personal comfort. 

Paul believed that he belonged to God, and that God could do with him as the Lord saw fit.

Paul believed the simple statement Esther made: “If I perish, I perish.”  

Paul stood on the deck of the ship about to sink and cried out, “Wherefore sirs, I believe God…”

The question is, do you believe in God? Do you believe He is good, faithful, trustworthy, and able to take wrong and use it for right?  

Paul continues:

Philippians 1:13 “So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;”

Paul had opportunities to witness and to tell of the wonderful Saviour he served; that opportunity never would have come if he had not been in prison.  The whole palace population heard the Gospel because Paul was unjustly incarcerated. 

Paul believed in a powerful, faithful, sovereign God.  Do we? 

Pastor