20 Feb, 2008

That's a kick in the teeth!

Can God make something good out of bad?

Chew on this story...

Pastor Joseph M. Stowell tells a story about his childhood. “Growing up in Hackensack, N.J., just across the George Washington Bridge from New York City, provided a variety of experiences for me. One was going to school with some of the rough kids from the neighboring town of South Hackensack. I recall one afternoon, playfully sparring with one of the southside guys and having his punch actually land on my face. The blow jarred one of my front teeth loose. Thankfully, the dentist was able to anchor the tooth again, and I didn’t lose it. In fact, I was better off--the tooth had always been crooked, so the dentist straightened it as he worked. Sometimes the blows of life have a way of taking something crooked and making it straight.”

picture courtesy images.google.com & illustration courtesy irsweb.com

Romans 8:28-29 (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about seeing the "good" in the bad in our lives?

First of all, please understand that this verse does not mean that everything is going to work out good for followers of Jesus. God doesn't remove all the bad things in life for His children.

It also doesn't mean that everything that happens to us in life is good. We live in a sinful world that is broken, so pain and suffering will often break our hearts.

It does mean that God is in total control of "everything", not just some incidents in life. He will use every circumstance (good or bad from our perspective) to bring about "good" in us (from His perspective). That "good" is all about His purpose for us - to glorify Him as we become more and more like Jesus Christ who created His new life in us! God's ultimate purpose is to make us Holy, not happy.

We can still be full of joy even when we're not happy. Happiness depends on how we feel about circumstances, but joy is the peace in our souls that comes with knowing and believing that God is working to bring about the "good" that He wants for us.

So when life "knocks your tooth out", trust God! He will eventually straighten out what seems crooked in this life.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
  • Thank God that He has "called you according to His purpose for you". Ask Him to give you the obedient faith you need every day to love Him. Whatever is "crooked" in your life right now - talk to Him about it. Ask Him to give you His perspective and the patience you need to trust Him to straighten it out even if it doesn't make sense until you get to Heaven some day.
  • Memorize Romans 8:28 as a reminder of God's purpose for your life.
  • This week, look for illustrations of the truth of today's scripture at school, work and in your relationships. Keep thinking about how God might bring something "good" out of something bad.
  • Whenever you see your teeth in a mirror this week, let God remind you that you can trust him even when there seems to be nothing good coming out of the bad in your life.

How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?

  • Watch for the times when the stories of others seem to include a "kick in the teeth".
  • Pray for them and look for ways to show them you care.
  • Ask Jesus to help you listen to their needs and pain. Trust His Holy Spirit to show you when you can share with them an example from your own story how God can "take the crooked and make it straight".
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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