“We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those he has called according to his purpose.” ( Rom 8: 28). Let’s face it. You and I do foolish things from time to time. We make mistakes. But nothing you will ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. When you make a foolish mistake, God promises He can use it for good. I want to be clear, though. This isn’t a promise for everyone. The verse doesn’t say that God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for His purposes. The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purpose. I don’t always get it right, but I want to do the right thing. I want to trust You, and I want to follow You.” Do that, and God will take it all and use it for his good. That’s a reason for joy. When you put your life in His hands, it doesn’t mean you will never goof up again; you will still make bad decisions. You will still mess up. But God can fit it all into His plans. There is no plan B for your life. God knew all the mistakes you would make before you were born. He also knew He would fit those mistakes into His plan. That means you can relax and you can rest. Do your best with what God has given you. He will work everything into His plan.
“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Rom 8: 31). Psychologists have identified thousands of fears that people can have. Fear is a universal problem, and it takes away your joy. But here’s the good news. You don’t have to be afraid. You have God on your side! With God on your side, you don’t need anything else; God plus one equals a majority. What’s your greatest fear? Is it embarrassment? Failure? Rejection? Disappointing others? Satan uses all of these fears to rob you of joy. He knows what will make you joyful, so he creates fears to oppose those things. For example, Satan also knows that one of the greatest sources of joy in life is when you share the love of Christ with an unbeliever. So, he makes you afraid to tell people about Jesus. To find joy, you need to live for an audience of one God. That’s Jesus’ path to complete and total joy. He said, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be completed.” ( Jn 15: 11). You can have joy in life, knowing God is for you. Fear not!
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38 – 39). No matter how bad life gets, you can rest in one crucial truth: God won’t stop loving you. You will have things go wrong. But God’s love will never end; you can count on that. That truth should be one of your most important sources of joy! That’s good news. When you put your hand in God’s hand, He grabs it and won’t let go. God holds on to you with all He has.
