causes all things to work together for good to those who love God , to those who are called according to His purpose .” The key term in the verse is “ good .” Unfortunately , many of us have a shallow understanding of that term . To many of us , “ good ” means our personal satisfaction and happiness . I hate to be the bearer of bad news , but that ’ s not how God defines “ good .” In fact , Paul tells us exactly how God defines the “ good ” in the very next verse : “ 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 ” ( v . 29 ).
We may not know what God is going to do in every situation in which we ’ ve been wronged , marginalized , or hurt . But we can always know that God will use those situations to mold us into the image of Christ . And one thing is certain : though Christ was betrayed , beaten , and executed without just cause , never once did He allow bitterness to take root in His heart . Look at how Peter put it : “ Christ also suffered for you , leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps , who committed no sin , nor was any deceit found in His mouth ; and while being reviled , He did not revile in return ; while suffering , He uttered no threats , but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously ; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross , so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness ; for by His wounds you were healed ” ( 1 Pet . 2:21 – 24 ).
Christ died on the cross , the innocent for the guilty , so we might die to the sin of bitterness and become conformed to the image of Christ .
Step # 3 : Admit Your Failures and Receive God ’ s Forgiveness
I ’ m old enough to remember when people paid their bills with checks . Every month , you wrote a check to your utility company , your mortgage company , and your insurance company . You stuffed them in envelopes , placed a stamp in the upper righthand corner , and dropped them in the mailbox . Have you ever written a check thinking you had sufficient funds to cover the amount only to get a notice from your bank that the check bounced ? Not only did you still owe the original amount on the bill , you also had to pay a fine if the bank covered the bill for you .
There ’ s a spiritual principle here : you can ’ t forgive someone if you have insufficient funds in your spiritual bank account . In other words , you can ’ t forgive if you ’ ve never been forgiven . If you have never come to Christ in faith and sought His forgiveness for the sins in your life , you ’ re like Cain , filled with envy , anger , and bitterness . The door to forgiveness is just as available as the door of selfishness and sin . The choice is yours . I pray you will open the door of your heart to Christ and ask Him to forgive you of your sins . Others of you who have opened the door to Christ sometimes let your anger get the better of you . In those cases , you need a good , strong dose of 1 John 1:9 .
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