No Good Thing Will God Withhold

Theme verse (2 translations)

Some other verses we could consider

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father ...

Romans 8:28

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.

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Thinking about these verses

• What do verses like these mean?

• Are they true? Do they really mean that?

• Consider the following passage about the apostle Paul. Did the above verses hold true in the situation described below?

1 Corinthians 4:11-13

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

• If this description of the apostle Paul happened to us, would the verses at the top of the page still be true? (Explain.)

• Would they be true if we lost our job, or our best friend betrayed us, or we got cancer, or ... ?

Things to consider, when in a difficult situation

1) Are you a genuine disciple (a follower of Jesus)?

Have you acknowledged that you are a wicked rebel against God and that you deserve the wrath of God? Have you confessed that your sins are a barrier that prevents you from experiencing the love and salvation that God freely offers? Do you admit that even your good deeds are not righteous in God's sight? (Romans 1:18; Colossians 3:5-9; Isaiah 59:1-2; Isaiah 64:6)

Have you repented of your old way of living, and have you trusted God to give you the life-changing Spirit - and a new set of values to control your life? (Acts 2:38; Acts 26:20)

Do you live according to the values that the Spirit puts into the hearts of God's people, demonstrating that you have rejected your past way of living and are now following Jesus? (Ephesians 4:22-24; Titus 2:11-13)

Are you spending time studying (and thinking about) the Word of God, so that your thinking is continually becoming more patterned after Christ, and so that you know the difference between the genuine and the fake "follower" of Jesus? (Psalm 119:9-11; Romans 12:1-2)

Is your life characterized by a desire to become more like Jesus, with an ongoing attitude of repentance (whenever you discover more ways that you need to change your attitude, values or conduct)? (Philippians 3:12-14)

2) Are their any barriers that prevent God from hearing your prayers? (If some of these describe you, and you are unwilling to deal with them, then you should return to the above questions about being a disciple.)

Are you guilty of unrepentant sin? (Then God won't listen to you. Example: Isaiah 1:15-16)

Do you practice "religious activities," yet live with sin in your life? (God won't hear you - Isaiah 58:3-4)

Are your motives honoring to God, or self-centered? (James 4:2-3)

Are you wavering back and forth, questioning whether or not God can do what he has promised to do? (Don't expect to get anything from the Lord! James 1:6-8)

3) If you are following Jesus and there are no barriers between you and God, consider the following:

In Romans 8:28, what does the "all things" include? (Hint: look at 8:35-39) What is the final goal? (8:29-30)

The God who meets all our needs (Philippinas 4:19) is the one who gives us the strength we need (Philippians 4:13). What types of things does he strengthen us for (v. 12)? (Are they only pleasant things?)

If we say we want to be "like Christ," do we really mean it? (Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10)

Some final thoughts

• If things do not look good right now, when will we see things - all things - differently? Until then, are we willing to trust God?

• Verses to consider, when things are not going well for us: Hebrews 12:5-11; John 15:2b; Psalm 73; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Romans 5:3-4 and James 1:2-4; 1 Corinthians 10:13. Don't be like Israel, who complained instead of learning from God - Exodus 16:2-3, 12-35; and Deuteronomy 8:3!