Have you ever dissected a verse to figure out what it really says?  I am reading a book, “31 Verses to Write on your Heart”, by Liz Curtis Higgs for our small group class.  She uses expository learning to explain a verse more deeply.  You can really get new insights to verses, it is also supposed to help memorize them too.  So far it’s not working out to well for memorizing but it is helping me to become more familiar with a better and richer understanding of what a verse mean.

     Expository means – intended to explain or describe something.
synonyms: explanatory, descriptive or interpretative

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.  (Romans 8:28, NIV)

Liz breaks the verse down by just a few words at a time

– And we know that … Romans 8:28

You can be assured, confident that whatever we are dealing with today will come to an end and in a good way because God is with us from beginning to end.  Our difficulties right now are temporary but purposeful.

… all things … Romans 8:28

He is aware of everything and every detail we are up against.  We can entrust everything to God because it matters to Him.  He is working on a result for your good.  Are you giving it to God and letting Him resolve it until completed?

… God works … Romans 8:28

God’s work never stops and is always on task – unlike us.  He is working on our behalf and will always finish.  His aim is to keep us on target.

… for the good … Romans 8:28

Everything fits like a puzzle that is good and beautiful in our lives even when it does not appear so now. Because He loves us, He will turn our mess and garbage into His glory.

… of those who love him … Romans 8:28

For those who love Him wholly and believe He wants nothing but good things for us.  He is the one who cleans up all things, even the hard messy stuff.  Let God do the heavy lifting and let Him love you.

                           … who have been called … Romans 8:28

We are called to be Saints and a member of God’s family.   When God reached out, you said yes by the power of His Holy Spirit and accepted His invitation to live according to His plan.

… according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

God is working hard to mold and shape us in keeping with His purpose.  When we accept that truth, life becomes more joyful, more manageable and filled with hope even through hard situations.  Because God is our hope and His purpose is always for our good.

The Voice is a newer version of Bible.  I really like how it is written for this verse.  When you are studying and learning a verse be sure to read different versions to get better or new insight to its meaning.

²⁸ We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan. (Romans 8:28, Voice)

(Romans 8:28, NASB)

I love digging into scripture. God is always revealing something new in us when we are open and communicating with Him.