The Greatest Good

The Lord has been working on my heart lately in the area of living for God's glory and not for what I want. I'm fairly convinced that this is the long-standing lesson that He is trying to teach me each and every day. In one particular life circumstance that is not at all what I would choose, Josh has been encouraging me to think about how God might want to bring good out of it. To be honest, I have had a really hard time thinking of anything. I mustered up a couple of thoughts but all that I could see from my vantage point was one bad thing after another.

As I mentioned this to some friends yesterday and asked for their input, the Lord gave me great help. I shared, "Really, the only thing remotely good that I can see for myself in this is that it's leading to sanctification." My friend, Elisabeth, kindly shared this thought: really there is no greater good than my sanctification. It is precisely in the circumstances that we wouldn't choose where God reveals to us how dependent we are on Him. It is in the situations that are hardest that we generally grow the most. My sanctification (aka, being conformed more into the image of Christ) brings God great glory and magnifies the amazing beauty of the Gospel. This brings me great hope as I look at my circumstance.

No, I would not have chosen this circumstance but God did, and He always knows what is best. Even though I've thought that greater good would be done if I could just have things my way (on my terms, when I want them, etc) it's simply not true. The greatest good is that God be glorified through my sanctification. It's not easy or necessarily fun but it is worth it because He is worth it.

As I fight to want God's way and not my own, I've been encouraged by knowing that what God plans and chooses for me really is best.

"...the most important things on our agenda weren't planned by us. God planned them. The most significant moments of our lives are moments we wouldn't have chosen to have. God chose them for us." (Paul Tripp, JBC article)

He knows better than I do. May He be glorified in the painful process of sanctification!