GOD'S INCREDIBLE PLAN FOR OUR LIVES, P. 2a

     Taken individually, events and circumstances God allows may not, in and of themselves appear to be any value or good to the Christian.  But notice Paul does not say that each event is good or even that each incident will produce that which is good.  He informs us that all the events working together God uses to make us Christ like.

     To illustrate, think about the ingredients which go into a cake:  flour, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, baking powder, and spices.  They are not very tasty when eaten individually.  They are not something we want to eat one ingredient at a time.  But mix all of these together in just the right proportions, and then bake the combined mixture a given amount of time and you have a delicious treat.  Each event in our life is like one ingredient in a cake.  It may not seem good, by itself, but when mixed by God with other events, it will surely produce His incredible plan for our lives, i.e. conformity to Christ.

     Paul speaks here of God’s sovereignty in terms of His choosing and blending of all of our experiences in such a way as to produce that which is good.  Notice the phrase “work together.”  God causes all things to work together for the accomplishment of His plan for us.  This means that we cannot judge the goodness of God’s work in us until His plan is finished.  Have you ever been too hasty in testing the cake batter?  Almost always the result is unsatisfactory.  Until God’s recipe for our lives is complete, we dare not judge God’s cooking.  We had best entrust ourselves to Him as the cook, knowing that He always blends the right ingredients, at the right time, in the right way and in the right proportions.