Monday, June 16, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: 1 Timothy 5

What comes to mind when you think about the sounds of summer?

For Dr. Calvin Sweeney, it’s “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. This past weekend, he continued our series, Sounds of Summer, by unpacking one of the most quoted verses in the Bible: Romans 8:28.

Interestingly, he used chocolate chip cookie ingredients to illustrate the verse’s meaning. Except for the chocolate chips, the ingredients aren’t very tasty when eaten separately. But when they are mixed and worked together, they make something wonderful.

Romans 8:28
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.

The Apostle Paul wrote this verse around 56-68 AD to provide comfort and hope for the Roman church, especially during tough times. Today, this verse is an encouragement to Christians during our own times of suffering, and a reminder that, even at our lowest, God is ardently working in our lives for the greater good.

This verse can be misunderstood to mean that all things will be good for us, or used to diminish the pain of those who are suffering. But similar to the ingredients used to make amazing chocolate chip cookies, God takes all our life events - both the good and the not so good ones - and mixes them together to produce what is best for us according to his purpose. We could say God is our Master Baker.

In Genesis 37-50, we can see how Joseph’s life events were used to fulfill God’s purpose. Through all of his tragedies and triumphs - like being sold into slavery by his brothers, being wrongly imprisoned, interpreting dreams, being appointed second in command in Egypt, and eventually forgiving his brothers - Joseph remained faithful to God.

Even though God’s plan was not obvious, Joseph trusted God to deliver him from tribulation. In the same way, when God’s plan doesn’t seem self-evident, we can trust in the fact that, although everything may not be good, everything is being worked together for good.

Romans 8:18
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Our bottom line: Don’t stop believing that God is working, even while you’re waiting. Continue reading this week’s LIO to learn more!

Questions:
What difficult events in your life have been hardest to see as part of God’s greater plan? How can you view them through the lens of God's bigger purpose and shift your perspective?

Next Steps:
Using the life of Joseph as an example, can you find events in your life that seemed devastating at the time, but then turned out to be something that God used for the greater good? Click here to read about Joseph’s story. Journal about both good and bad life experiences and trust that God is weaving them together to fulfill his purpose.

Prayer:
Dear magnificent Father, thank you for all my life events, both good and bad. I know that because I love and serve you, I will have difficult times. I know that life will not always be easy, and I may not understand why I am going through a valley, but I will remain faithful. Open my eyes so I can see the purpose of my life. Grant me the courage to live it out. It’s in the beautiful name of Jesus that I pray, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

2 Corinthians 1:20
For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

This post was written by Jenn Macke, a Findlay attendee, and a regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.