I am a big fan of Dr. Charles Stanley. I regularly read the In Touch Ministries daily devotional and it usually seems like a great thing to me. Today, their devotional is about "Decisions That Lead to Contentment." And, atypically, I take exception on this devotional.
Oh, there's nothing really wrong with it. It is a short treatise about Romans 8:28-39, quoted, in part, here from the NASB:
28 And we know that [a]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.and quoted here from The Message:
26-30That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.If you have been to church more than a few times, you have probably heard at least one sermon echoing 8:28. It's easy and all to common to pump out a homily about how bad things are really good using this text.
But one thing I have learned over the years is never underestimate the power of Romans when you tackle it. 8:28 is no hole in the line to go rushing through blindly, it is not a magic salve that soothes any pain, and it has certainly, over the years, been the focus of much weak, incomplete, or just plain inappropriate theology. In fact, sometimes the "standard, Sunday School" treatment is just plain wrong.
I have a close spiritual friend who had two babies predecease her. Absolutely 8:28 tells us that God causes their worldly deaths to work "together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Someone tell me now how this helps my friend feel better, please!
We are talking about a year of sustained, deep pain and grief, and it is NOT over yet!!
The Sunday School approach, presented in the In Touch devotional, tells you to "choose to accept this as though it's coming from You. No matter what I see, I'm choosing to look to You, Lord."
Poppycock!!
I say that because "Oh, bull....! [bullroar, of course:-)]" is not overtly Christian in nature.
Consider, very simply, the implications of:
called according to His purpose...conformed to the image of His Son...called...justified; and...glorified.We are called to be glorified and justified. We are called to live a life of glory and justification. We are sanctified. We are saved. We are resurrected. We are immortalized. We are the sons and daughters of God.
If I have a hangnail, then 8:28 me about putting up with it because God wants me not to use that finger for something bad. When I put up with my devastating cluster headaches, God is pimping me through the thorn in my side, probably because of my impatience, definitely because I need to center myself on His purpose, positively because I need to continue seeking justification, sanctification and redemption. When my friend's babies die, when my wife has a coworker whose 2 year old grandson falls out of a 3rd story window to his death, when random teenagers fall victim to bullying in the extreme, when a nutcase goes wacko at an army base and plays spin the Beretta - don't EVEN try to tell me to rejoice because these are all good things. That is theological poppycock, like I said. And, don't EVEN try to reinforce me that all of these things are working together for His purpose, because I already know that. If, for a minute, you make the ridiculous mistake of telling me it's because I have sinned and need to be punished, don't even bother continuing to talk to me and be glad I was not packing a Beretta - not that I would hurt you, but I would scare the bejabbers out of you to catch your attention and then yell and lecture you into blithering submission about your weak theological interpretations.
We are called to be glorified. It ain't easy on the way, boys and girls. God never said it would be easy, He just said we would never be alone. Grieve, cry, mourn my dear friends when you must - I am there with you, and always, too, is God.
