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b'I once saw a bowling team that called themselves,/\\u201dIt\\u2019s All Good.\\u201d/Wouldn\\u2019t it be awesome if the saying/\\u201dit\\u2019s all good\\u201d/were true? Sadly, troubles abound on earth. But even as we acknowledge these troubles, let\\u2019s also explore a promise that offers real hope for truly good endings..In Romans 8:28, Paul plainly states that \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d And, because Paul\\u2019s readers were suffering/persecution, he also poses the hard question: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Does it mean he [God] no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity\\u2026?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 35). Earnestly, Paul replies, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153No, despite all these things [i.e., pain and persecution], overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 37)..I wonder if what God calls \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153good\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d in Romans 8:28 doesn\\u2019t always match our idea of good? My idea of good might mean all my problems are gone immediately. But what does God mean by good? Romans 8:29 provides a clue. It hinges on the phrase \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153become like his Son.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d.The whole of Scripture teaches that becoming like Jesus will involve suffering. (Now, more suffering doesn\\u2019t always equal more Christlikeness\\u2014Christlikeness comes from the Holy Spirit\\u2019s work in us through the Word, not our circumstances.)/But following Christ also means experiencing the good that God promises. Far more than fixing a temporary pain or problem, this good includes a glorious/hijacking/of evil. Today\\u2019s key verse expresses this perfectly: in Genesis 50:20, Joseph says, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You intended to harm me, but God intended it\\u2026 for good.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d.Peter expresses this idea too, expounding on the most profound reversal of evil ever: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153[God\\u2019s] prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed\\u2026 you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Acts 2:23-24). In Christ\\u2019s resurrection, the most tragic ending is transformed into the best of new beginnings. Because Jesus rose from the dead, all God\\u2019s people will be resurrected when He returns. Jesus will make everything new, and all our problems and pain will be gone forever. Now, even in the midst of all the bad, we can say with certainty: it\\u2019s all good./\\u2022 G. Kam Congleton.\\u2022 Can you think of a time when something bad happened in your life, and looking back, you saw God\\u2019s goodness in the midst of it? Let\\u2019s pray that God will help us recognize the lasting goodness He is working in our lives. .\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You intended to harm me, but God intended it\\u2026 for good.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Genesis 50:20a (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nJohn.16.33|Rom.8.17-Rom.8.39|1Pet.1.6-1Pet.1.7|Gen.50.20'