Romans 8:28,29 “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… to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”
The verse above can easily be and often has been misapplied in difficult situations, but it clearly states that God is at work in the believer’s life ‘in all things’. Oswald Chambers wrote: “We must never put our dreams of success as God’s purpose for us. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end. His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.”
It’s very easy to live life looking ahead – when I finish my studies, get married, have a good job, retire, etc, then I’ll be able to… but in doing so we miss so much of the moment, the now, the experience of living. We need to live for today. As Frederick Buechner wrote: “Today is the first day of your life because it has never been before, and today is the last day of your life because it will never be again.”
The verse says that we “have been called according to his purpose… to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” Elisabeth Elliot, whose husband was murdered by the Auca Indians, wrote: “Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. … The love of God did not protect His own Son. … He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.”
God, I see that you are less concerned with where I am going than with who I am becoming. I choose today to submit to and embrace the process of becoming more like you. Amen!
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