When Pete told his good friend Brian that God makes everything work together for his good, Brian could hardly believe his ears.
Pete was a walking calamity. He could hardly get through a day at work without breaking something or tripping over his own feet.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Brian replied. “How can God neutralize all the foul-ups you’ve caused, let alone turn them into good?”
Pete knew he had trouble walking and chewing gum, but he really liked Brian, so he tried to explain.
“I don’t understand it either, Brian,” Pete began. “All I know is what God tells me, and what he says is: ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him’ (Romans 8:28). It’s not that I have done everything to deserve it. It’s that God loves me.”
Brian laughed. “That’s for sure, Pete. What you deserve from God isn’t called love.”
The two guys went on talking and ribbing each other, but that night Brian couldn’t get Pete’s words out of his brain: “God works for those who love him.”
Could it be that God really loved Pete? Why? And, if God loved Pete, could he love Brian?
The pastor wasn’t much help for Pete when he dragged Brian into the pastor’s office on Saturday afternoon. “How do you explain a love that causes God to sacrifice his only Son for a sinner like Pete — or a skeptic like you, Brian?” the pastor asked.
“God isn’t like people,” the pastor went on. “He’s a whole lot smarter, and stronger. And he is a lot more loving.”
As they walked back to their car, Brian said, “You are a special guy, Pete. I’ve never met anyone more accident-prone than you. If God can make all your goofs turn out good, then he must be really strong and wise.”
“Better than that, Brian,” Peter replied. “God makes everything turn out good for me because Jesus loves me. Even if I don’t understand it, God will make it all work out in the end. And he loves you too.”
Pastor
