Justin and I were wandering through Bass Pros the other day and I was shocked at the rows of fishing equipment. Shelves lined with creepy crawlies to bait the fish to bite. All are carefully crafted to cause the fish to believe it’s real. As the fish catches a glimpse of something shiny and then the wiggling of a worm, he launches forward. By the time he realizes that this worm is on a sharp hook, it’s too late, he’s now in a fight for his life. The best lies have just enough truth that we find ourselves committing to them hook, line, and sinker, confused at the fight that we find ourselves in. 

I hate blaming the devil for everything but I’m going to give him credit where credit is due. He is the master of lies. He takes the Word of God and twists and turns it. A lot of times it sounds so much better by the time he’s done with it. As a church and culture, we’ve taken to using verses as a banner to rally behind. Rejoice always! I can do all things through Christ! All things work together for good! My pastor calls these coffee mug verses. They are quick, easy, and make you feel good. He says you never see verses like, “He has also broken my teeth with gravel, and covered me with ashes.” Lamentations 3:16 on a coffee mug. All though I’d love to have a mug with Proverbs 27:14 “He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him.”

These coffee mug verses are true but are taken out of context. There’s just enough truth in them to be dangerous. As a believer, if we believe we are supposed to rejoice always, it’s going to be devastating when a loved one dies. If we claim, we can do all things through Christ and can’t beat the diagnosis, we’ll end up in a crisis of faith. All things work together for good feels very cliche amid your world crumbling around you. 

If you start looking at the verses that speak of rejoicing it’s not in our circumstances, but in who we serve. ”Rejoice in the Lord always.” Philippians 4:4a “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 We’re not rejoicing in our circumstances, but in who He is and the end result of walking faithfully with Him. 

When Paul is talking about being able to do all things through Christ, he isn’t referring to winning the Super Bowl or becoming rich and famous. His words right before this statement are, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Philippians 4:12 It’s not about him using Christ as a magic genie to fulfill his lifelong wishes, but to know that whatever road Christ called him to walk, he could do it because Christ was with him.

I saved the best for last. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” The verses leading up to this start with, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time…” the groans of creation longing for deliverance, the Spirit interceding for us when our hearts are so broken, we can no longer find words. This verse is not the prosperity gospel. This is our hope. When this life is over, we will be able to see the hand of God guiding and directing even the most painful moments in life. ”For we were saved with this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8:24-25

The coffee mug versions of these verses are so warm and fuzzy. But in reality, it’s a worm on a hook. A brief glimmer of hope with no real substance. They leave us confused and fighting for the understanding of how God could allow bad things to happen. A cheap substitution for the real promises of God. Through the good and the bad, He will be there and has a plan. He’s never surprised by an event, diagnosis, or catastrophe. He’s in control and will see us through it.