I can’t imagine why (Corona!), but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how God promises us He works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
If you’ve been wondering if all things are really for good, don’t miss these two great opportunities to help understand God’s powerful promise.
The first is a book recommendation and invitation from pastor Tim Challies.
The second is an upcoming video series by me!
Tim Challies’ Reading Challenge
Tim is inviting us to read Thomas Watson’s All Things for Good (aka A Divine Cordial) with him. (You’ve heard me mention Watson’s long but outstanding book Body of Divinity before. You’ve heard me mention Tim before, too)
Fortunately, All Things for Good by Watson is short, and it’s all about God’s powerful and comforting promise in Romans 8:28.
Tim shared the following description of the book from Banner of Truth:
Thomas Watson’s book All Things For Good provides the biblical answer to the contemporary question; Why do bad things happen to good people?
Thomas Watson, the 17th-century minister of St. Stephen’s Walbrook, believed he faced two great difficulties in his pastoral ministry.
The first was making the unbeliever sad, in the recognition of his need of God’s grace.
The second was making the believer joyful in response to God’s grace.
He believed the answer to the second difficulty could be found in Paul’s teaching in Romans 8.28: God works all things together for good for his people.
Thomas Watson’s exposition is always simple, illuminating and rich in practical application. He explains that both the best and the worst experiences work for the good of God’s people. He carefully analyses what it means to be someone who ‘loves God’ and is ‘called according to his purpose’.
Tim’s Reading Assignment #1
Tim’s first assignment is for us to read the first two sections (“The Best Things Work for Good to the Godly” and “The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly”) by Tuesday, April 28.
Tim will then share some thoughts on these sections and give us our next assignment. (Subscribe to his blog to get the updates directly from Tim.) We’ll continue this way until we finish the book together.
Jean’s “All Things for Good” Video Series
Tim’s reading invitation has inspired me to record a video series on All Things for Good onto my YouTube channel.
I’ll share what God is truly promising in Romans 8:28 and how it can give us the comfort we desperately need during this difficult time.
I’ll use much of what I learn from Thomas Watson’s book, so if your bedside table will collapse if you add one more book to it, join me for my YouTube series. Coming soon!
I’ve already read the first section of Watson’s book and love it!
How to Get the Book
According to Tim:
“The book is widely available, though obviously there are shipping constraints now, so you may find electronic versions easiest to access. Do note that some of the electronic versions, especially the free Kindle versions, may be very poorly formatted.”
I found one on Kindle for 99-cents that’s well-formatted.
- Kindle version at Amazon
- Paperback version from Westminster Books or Banner of Truth or Reformation Heritage Books
- Free PDF version at Monergism
- Free HTML version from Eternal Life Ministries
How to Get my Video Series
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
You can be one of the first to subscribe and bring me great joy and encouragement. Plus you can set it to notify you when I upload a new episode.
Or you check back here on my blog for my YouTube Video page.
Who’s with me?
If you want to join me for either, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or by emailing me.
Grace & Joy!
