There is a wonderful verse in the Bible, which should encourage all of us! Let's take a look. Many are already familiar with 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."

God causes all things to work together for good! He does truly love us. Everything in the lives of a christian works together for good! Everything!

Do we believe this? Many do not believe. If we do not believe aren't we calling God a liar?

But many times we simply cannot understand, we cannot see how this situation in our lives could possibly be for good! Perhaps a problem here, is that we don't realize what "good" is? The next verse tells us. Look at Romans chapter 8, verse 29.

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

What is the "good" toward which God is working? It is that we become conformed to the image of His Son! He causes all things to work together for this purpose!

Christlikeness is God's goal for us. When He has finished, we will be like Him, 1 John 3:2! Then Christ will be the firstborn, among us, His many brothers, a new race of Humanity. This is surely glorious, Romans 8:30!

However God is working on us now, in order to bring this to pass. He is using all things for this purpose. He uses glory! Look at the following.

"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 2 Cor. 3:18

How important it is that we learn to behold the Lord of glory. In our spirit, in prayer, in His word, We must all learn to behold Him!

But, many of the things, which God uses for good, don't feel or look good. God uses many sufferings for our good, to transform us into the image of His Son. Paul spoke of this in Philippians 3:10

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

We can see from this verse that God uses both the power of His resurrection life, and sufferings to conform us to the image of His Son. This is how God matures us.

Our heavenly father uses sufferings, to mature us, just as He used sufferings to perfect the Lord Jesus Christ!

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." Heb. 2:10

What will we be like when God is finished? I really don't know. Even the Bible doesn't know; but it will be all a matter of glory!

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, Because we shall see Him just as He is." 1 John 3:2.

All scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Version.