"This Is Good!"
“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.” - Romans 8:28
There was once a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life, positive or negative, and responding by saying, “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition, and the friend accidentally fired the gun and shot off the king’s thumb. After examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” The king replied, “No, this is not good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
A year later, the king was hunting in an area that was populated by cannibals. They captured him and took him to their village. Just before they got ready to eat the king, the cannibals noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Since they were superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So, untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” He told his friend what had happened. “And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”
His friend responded, “No, this is good! It is good that you sent me to jail.” The king replied, “What do you mean this is good? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” The friend replied, “If I had not been in jail, I would have been out there hunting with you when the cannibals captured you, and they would have eaten me.”
My friend, you may not understand why you have to go through what you have to go through, but it is for good. Romans 8:28 tells us, “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.”
There was once a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life, positive or negative, and responding by saying, “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition, and the friend accidentally fired the gun and shot off the king’s thumb. After examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” The king replied, “No, this is not good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
A year later, the king was hunting in an area that was populated by cannibals. They captured him and took him to their village. Just before they got ready to eat the king, the cannibals noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Since they were superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So, untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” He told his friend what had happened. “And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”
His friend responded, “No, this is good! It is good that you sent me to jail.” The king replied, “What do you mean this is good? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” The friend replied, “If I had not been in jail, I would have been out there hunting with you when the cannibals captured you, and they would have eaten me.”
My friend, you may not understand why you have to go through what you have to go through, but it is for good. Romans 8:28 tells us, “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.”
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1 Comment
What a great message.