Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile - Crosswalk the Devotional - June 14

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile by Alex Crain 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 ([Romans 8:28](. Catastrophes like earthquakes, hurricanes, and even terrorist attacks remind us that, indeed, we live in a sin-cursed world. Not only do tragedies like these cause many to lose their lives, they often leave countless others in their wake---roiling in doubt and disbelief. The horrors of human suffering can stain our minds and souls and often obscure our vision of the God who is there. How are we supposed to respond? Closer to home, we experience the curse of sin in personal ways through losses or disappointments that grieve the heart. We may wonder in all honesty at such times what verses like [Romans 8:28]( mean. Does Christ call His followers to simply put on a plastic smile and somehow grin and bear it? Hardly. Francis Schaeffer offers a helpful explanation for this dilemma in the first chapter of his classic book, True Spirituality. In fact, he says that a proper grasp of [Romans 8:28]( is crucial to understanding the world. First of all, he takes care to point out that the [Bible]( view of life in the world is clear-eyed and realistic: At the Fall of man, everything became abnormal. The whole world is not what God made it to be. Therefore, Scripture verses like [Romans 8:28]( cannot be calling us to think… "…that in some magical way everything is really fine when it isn't. Rather, we are to say "thank You Lord" knowing that God will somehow bring good ultimately, though we may not know how all the pieces fit together. "It is not that Christians are to give thanks with a plastic smile, saying things are wonderful when they are hard. It is knowing that the hard things are really hard things, a result of the abnormality of the Fall, yet not revolting against God when the hard things come." [CONTINUE READING →]( You May Also Like: [10 Habitual Sins Women Especially Struggle With]( Chara Donahue Women and men were both made in God’s image and both struggle with making ungodly decisions. But since men and women were created differently, the same sins can show up in various shades. We are going to take a close look at ten of these sins—once we can see it, we can fight it. [CONTINUE READING →]( [What Can I Do When My Spouse Changes for the Worse?]( Dr. Roger Barrier I'm a very worried Christian wife. My husband has completely changed over the last several months. How do I handle this? [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2021 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](