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All Things

              And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

And the image of a father continues. Fathers are supposed to work for the good of their families. If a son or daughter disowns and hates a father, and specifically works against the father’s goals, it would be normal for the father to stop fixing everything for the child, to allow the child to go off and return like the man in the story of the Prodigal Son. Those who remain, fathers, will teach to be the best they can be according to whatever model they deem appropriate. And those who work within those principles will be rewarded.

This is the process described in today’s verses. God works for the good of those who love Him. He doesn’t blast those who hate Him into nonexistence, but His work on their behalf is far more limited. If they walk away, He may let them go, at least for now. Those who work according to His principles and purposes will be conformed to the image of His Son. This brings to mind Job 1, in which, while talking to Satan, God points to Job as a good example. Christ is, of course, our example, but as He works in our lives, we also become models He can point to, like a proud papa.

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