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.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:28-29
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If I had to pick a life verse, it would probably be Romans 8:29. But not for the reason most people think.
There is lots of goodness (and debate) in those two verses. So much so, that it’s easy to miss an important phrase that brings important meaning to this passage and our lives.
Romans 8:28 holds a beautiful promise that God works all things for the good of those who love Him. It is such an amazing, amazing promise—no wonder that is what we take most often from these verses.
Romans 8:29, in contrast, contains a word that causes almost everyone to recoil and put up defenses when they read it: “Predestined.”
If you’ve been around church at all in your life, you know full-well this is a word bursting with controversy. Much ink has been spilled in debate of it, and even relationships broken because of it. Sometimes, our minds begin to wander as soon as we hear it.
All that to say, the phrase that always sticks out to me in these verses, and why I consider it my personal life verse, often gets lost by the time we get to it.
Look again at the verses.
What does it look like for God to work for our good? And what is the goal of God’s predestination in our life?
The Holy Spirit tells us the goal is so that we would be “conformed to the image of his Son.”
What an amazing promise! God’s goal in our life is to conform us to the very image of His Beloved Son! Is there any greater good that God could do in our hearts than make us look exactly like Jesus? I think not.
This is the work that God desires to do in each of our lives. This is how God measures good. This is the goal of our salvation. And this ought to be our greatest motivation in life:
To look more and more like Jesus every day and in every way.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your promises. Conform me to the image of your son and may I transform my life to be more like you each day. Amen.