Acts 13:28-30 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him from the dead:
This passage of Scripture focuses on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The post emphasizes the significance of the first two words of verse 30, “But God.” The word “but” introduces an alternative statement that acknowledges the suffering of Christ but also highlights that God raised Him from the dead. Ultimately, God had the final say in the events that transpired. This truth applies to our lives as well. No matter our challenges, we can trust that God will work everything together for our good, just as He did for Jesus. The post concludes by referencing Romans 8:28, which reinforces this message.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
A few years ago, I wrote about a vision that God gave me. In the vision, I saw a giant hand holding large and extremely sharp scissors. In the other hand, I saw the thumb and forefinger of the Holder that held a beautiful, pure white lamb. The lamb looked into the face of the one who held him without resistance, with total trust and absolute willingness to allow the one who held him to do whatever the Holder chose to do. The eyes of the lamb were the most beautiful color of blue I have ever seen. I wrote about this vision in an ” I Cut Him Off ” post, which you can read when you click this underlined link: & ” I Cut Him Off”: A Prophetic Dream. God then gave me the interpretation of that vision here: Yes, I Cut Him Off, but…I Raised Him UP!
As a result of Jesus’ obedience, three key things happened:
- Salvation was made available to the whole world.
- The church, the body of Christ, was established.
- We were given a perfect example of what happens when we obey God, go through our trials, and trust Him to bring us out.
And then, as a result of Jesus’ obedience, these things worked together for His good:
- He was exalted in His office, becoming Prophet, Priest, and King.
- He was given a name above all names, mainly King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
- He has a seat at the right hand of His Father.
- He became the Savior of the whole world and the Intercessor for the righteous.
- He became the Judge of the world.
- He is now due all glory, honor, majesty, dominion, and power because He went through his trials and obeyed God.
Philippians 2:10-11 tells us:
At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Life is real, and the things we must go through are authentic. Just because we are saved does not mean that we will not experience life’s trials and tribulations. 2 Tim. 3:12 says:
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
How can we know that God can solve our problems if we don’t have them? The Bible tells us that we are going to experience these things. The Bible even calls our trials light afflictions in 2 Corinthians 4:17
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
It is essential to always remember that God has a plan for us. He knows how we will be used and rewarded; every life experience teaches us more about Him. These experiences lead us to our expected end. So, when facing challenges, remember the example of how Jesus yielded to God and the outcome of His obedience. As we go through let us just say, “But God.”
Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the sacrifice of your Son that I might have eternal life. I also thank You for every life experience that I have, because I know that You will always cause them to work together for my good. Teach me to be obedient as Jesus was obedient and to yield my will to You as He did. In the matchless name of Your darling Son Jesus, I pray, Amen.