How often we presume “All things work together for good” means things will work together for what we call ‘our good.’ [Romans 8:28] ‘All things working together for good’ applies to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

The word ‘call’ comes from the word ‘kaleo,’ which means: “to call, to invite, to summon.” We would best understand it as having received a subpoena. Should we be beckoned by the court system, we would be wise to hasten to the summons. How much more should we heed His call.

“Those who are [being] led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” [Romans 8:14] An infant or childlike son is called a ‘teknon.’ Yet the Apostle Paul is referring in Romans 8 to a ‘huios,’ a mature son who is led by the Spirit.

John writes in his first chapter that, “…To those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become ‘teknon’ [children].” The right to become does not imply the right to remain.  Thus we grow into maturity when we surrender our wills to being led by the Spirit of God.

We first learn to heed a call or a summons while relating to our parents. Delayed obedience is disobedience because the parental call is not to be packaged with three or more warnings. The intention is that the teknon learns at the parents’ influence, thus preparing for the walk of the Spirit. If the teknon fails at learning to heed the call, he or she may always be looking for all things to work together for his or her own good.

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”   [Ephesians 5:17]