Day 15: Romans 8:28

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”


Many times we go through our lives not understanding who we are or why we do things. How many of us know why we think the way we think, or why we act the way we act? How many of us have questioned God about why things do or do not happen to us?

For many of us, suffering is just suffering. The process is so painful that we fail to look beyond it and learn from it. By looking beyond the pain, we deny ourselves the one benefit of suffering: seeing God work through the pain, suffering, and heartache to advance His kingdom.

It amazes me that God can use suffering for good. But then again, He uses our lives for His glory, and our lives are full of junk, sin, darkness, and unfaithfulness. And still God uses them.

It is very important as Christians to understand that God uses our lives to mold us in the image of His Son. It’s also important not to become bitter when bad things happen to us, because what we consider bad for us can become good in the hands of a loving God.

As leaders, we not only have to acknowledge this fact, but look further into it, making the connections between events and attitudes to gain a better understanding of ourselves. To understand why we do things allows us to better control our behavior, and to make decisions based on our knowledge of ourselves. When we see the journey that God is taking us on, it is much easier to deal with the day-to-day drudgery of life, and to learn the lessons God wants us to learn as we go.

We also have to see and understand where others’ circumstances have shaped their attitudes and behaviors. When we lead or work on a team, this understanding allows us to put people into a job or responsibility that suits them and their unique temperament. It also allows us to understand them better as people.

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: God uses everything in our life to shape us for His purpose. Our life’s circumstances, those things that happen to us, both good and bad, make up who we are and who God wants us to be.

Here’s a set of verses to meditate on today: Genesis 50:15-21.

Prayer: Father, help me to see Your purpose in my life. Help me to see it unfold everyday as You unfold it. Give me the eyes to see how You are working in the lives of others, as well, and help me to better understand them as a result. Thank you father, for shaping and molding me. In Christ’s name, amen.