(The second of four truths from Rom. 8:28 that give better understanding.)
DO ALL THINGS REALLY WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD? (3)
Dr. Vernon C.
Grounds, President Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary INGREDIENTS
MIXED TOGETHER
Notice, secondly, the truth implicit in
another fragment of this text. Paul
writes: "All things work together
for good." Together! Do not overlook that seemingly unimportant
word. In point of fact, it embodies a
profoundly significant thought. Our
experiences, when you take them in isolation, are frequently very bad; yet when
you take our experiences as a whole, they are radiantly good.
The ingredients which constitute a three-layer
chocolate cake are not good when you taste them in isolation. A mouthful of flour is not especially
savory. A spoonful of spices is not in
the least delicious. Shortening as
shortening is none too palatable. But
let a skillful cook mix them together, and the result is superbly good! And thus it is with our lives.
Very strikingly the experience of Joseph
illustrates this principle. Jacob's
excessive and unwisely partial love for the son of his old age was bad. The priggish conceit of young Joseph was
bad. The understandable hatred of his
brethren was bad. Their conspiracy to
kill him was bad. The sale of Joseph
into Midianite slavery was bad. The lie
told to Jacob was bad. The heartbreak of
the bereaved father was bad. The
temptation which befell Joseph in Egypt was bad. His imprisonment, though an innocent man, was
bad. And thus the components of his
experience, taken singly, were unquestionably bad. Yet what was the outcome of all those evil
things?
As Joseph finally faced his brethren, having
by his God-bestowed foresight preserved them and the whole nation of Egypt from
starvation, he could testify: "As
for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to
pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Gen. 50:20). Yes, indeed!
Where men intend evil, God intends good, and in His love and wisdom and
power he makes human wrath to praise Him, and out of the black components of
our experience He brings a shining result.
All things work together for good.
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