by Nancy Taylor Tate
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
As I look back on my own life, I see times of joy and times of sorrow, yet, in spite of the season, a “working together for good” as I have submitted myself to the Lord Jesus Christ and His working within my heart.
That “good” Romans 8:28 talks about is so much more than just an event or circumstance. God is good. We have been predestined to be conformed into His image and likeness, to be partakers of His divine nature. In every season this life brings, as I submit to the Lord, His nature and character is being formed in me (Luke 18:19; Romans 8:29; 2 Peter 1:4).
We know that in this world we have tribulation, or testings and trials, difficulties we all must press through. Yet we each determine if we will become “bitter” or “better”; the difference is in the “I,” or how we respond (John 16:33; Matthew 5:45).
In the parable of the sower, the same seed was dropped into different types of ground. The results varied not because of inconsistency in the seed, but differences in the soil. The wayside – hardness, from lack of understanding, produced no fruit. The stony soil – offense hindered the seed from growing into its full potential. The thorny ground – busyness choked the Word, causing unfruitfulness.
Yet there was also the good ground in which the seed grew and bore fruit – thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and one hundredfold (Matthew 13:3-23).
This parable is speaking of the Word of God being dropped into our hearts and our responsibility to tend to our “ground” that it might bear much fruit. In the same way, we must also continually tend to how we respond when difficulties drop into our lives, that rather than becoming hard or cynical, good fruit or the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9) or the nature of God (2 Peter 1:4) will be produced.
Times of blessing. Times of testing. We all will have both. May we yield to the Lord in every season, that He might work within our lives. May we understand and say with confidence, “For it is God which worketh in (me) both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).