And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. for God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Romans 8:28-30

So far in this chapter, Paul has encouraged us in our battle against sin (v. 1-16) and in our perseverance through trials and suffering (v. 17-27). This encouragement and edification has come in a variety of ways: through power of the Spirit (v. 2, 4-6, 9-13, 26-27), through the sacrifice of the Son (v. 3, 11), and through our salvation and adoption as His children (v. 1, 14-17, 19-24). And now all of those teachings culminate into these three verses (above). God's mysterious plan may never be perfectly clear to us while we're on Earth, but He reveals a wonderful piece of it here - that through the Father, Spirit, and Son, God gives us the help and strength we need to endure sin and suffering as a part of His eternal plan to bring us into His presence. And that presence is not something that can be understated and is not something that we can hope to fully comprehend. His presence is a love we can't wrap our minds around, a joy we can't imagine, and a peace we'll never know on this side of heaven. That is the "good" that God is orchestrating. It is not health or wealth here, it's Him for eternity. The trials of sin and suffering in this world can seem overwhelming at times, but God can and does allow those things "to work together for the good of those who love God." Keep this promise of glory firmly in your sights as you navigate the challenges of the day and I hope it helps to shape a better perspective of what matters most. 

P.S. These three verses contain enough material for a dozen devotionals, but this is the message that was on my heart as I read it this morning. Perhaps there will be another opportunity to unpack what Paul might mean by "firstborn," or "chosen," or "purpose," etc. Lord willing.  -- Josh