WHAT IS GOOD?
And we know that God works all things together for the goodG18 of those who loveG25 Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:28-29
G18 ἀγαθός agathós – (C) Of abstract things: tó agathón, something useful and profitable, beneficial (Rom. 8:28; 12:21; 13:4; Gal. 6:10; Eph. 4:28; 6:8; 1 Thess. 5:15; Phile. 1:6, 14).
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
First, we must point out that this promise is only applicable to those who love God and have answered His call to trust Jesus as their Savior. Most believers are familiar with Romans 8:28, but many do not read on to the next verse. God works all the circumstances of our lives together for our good. Exactly what is the “good”? We tend to envision health, wealth, and an easy road as good. According to the definition above, good in this context is something useful, profitable, and beneficial. If we read on to verse 29, we see that the “good” that God wants for us is to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” He works even the situations we perceive as “bad” to develop Christ-like character in us. There is no higher good than to be more like Jesus! The Holy Spirit is active in the lives of those who love God to produce His fruit in them: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a). Having the Holy Spirit flow through us developing these character traits to improve our relationships and our witness to the world is definitely for our benefit. God designed us to be His ambassadors to the world, performing good works in His name. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life” (Ephesians 2:10).
When examining yourself, do you see God working the good of being more like His Son into you? If not, ask the Father to infuse you with the Holy Spirit’s power to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. Developing these Christ-like qualities will definitely be beneficial not only for the Kingdom of God, but for you personally.
Father, help us to take an inventory of our own attitudes and actions. Where our lives do not match the truth of Your word, enable us to change. Help us to be made more and more like Jesus for this is Your divine benefit, our ultimate destiny.