Paul wanted to have an answer for anyone that might come to a place in their lives when they could wonder if it was worth it all. They might conclude that all this talk about a victorious life was nothing but talk. To them life might not make sense anymore. Things just seemed to happen on their own. To them the cost might be too high. The message to them and us is that we have a victorious life even in the midst of our struggles as a result of his purpose in our calling.
Romans 8:28 was one of those verses intended to provide encouragement to the readers. When most people read the Scripture, they take it that it says, “ all things work together for good.” Following that train of thought, it means that the circumstances of life are orchestrated by God as a grand Philharmonic. The early Christians and we can be encouraged that even the little things have meaning and purpose to God. It is his desire to pass on that purpose to us. Unfortunately, most people only quote the first part of this verse and forget the rest. They use this verse to rationalize when something bad happens. But let’s look at the rest of the verse that says, “called according to his purpose.” We are called as a result of his purpose which is encouragement.
God’s call is a call to all of us, not just some of us. It was an expectation that we have a right relationship with God. There is also a tension of human will that needs to be overcome by his Spirit. The biblical truth is that each of us have a called ministry to perform. When a boy found a starfish on the shores of an ocean, he threw it back into the waters. A man who witnessed the boy asked why he did it because it really did not matter about the starfish. The boy replied, “it matters to that one starfish.” At that moment the boy’s purpose was to save the starfish.
God’s call is about him and not us. In this material world in our fleshly skin, it is so easy to be focused on the things that are immediate, that attracts the majority of our concern. But we must remember that God is in charge. Such a phrase that I just said can seem like church rhetoric. It can easily take on an air of assumptions without application. We must remember that he is also all powerful. Whatever God wants to do, he has the ability. God never needs help. God never needs advice. When he says it, those words are immediately accomplished.
God’s call is because he has his own purpose. There was an old philosophy that said God may have created everything but then he sat back to see how it would run. He is not a spectator. He is a team player. No matter what happens in our lives God will eventually reveal his purposeful plan. Saying that we are called for a purpose, reminds us of Philippians 2:13 that says, “for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Christian Writer 