By the time Paul had written his amazing letter of theological truth to the church in Rome, the apostle had experienced a great deal.

Paul had met the Lord on the road to Damascus and was blinded, but his eyesight was restored by God. Paul was criticized by his Jewish brothers, feared by his Christian brothers, and had been a traitor to both groups in his past.

Paul had been arrested, beaten, stoned, and left for dead. Paul had walked hundreds of miles, taught thousands of people, and raised up leaders from all walks of life. Paul worked to live and lived to do his ministry. 

And Paul told the church in Rome, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Paul had led an educated and complicated life trying to serve God as his King.

When Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church, he wanted them to understand that his life was because of God’s grace. He wanted them to know that everything he had accomplished had been accomplished through the power of God. And Paul wanted all the glory to be directed to his great God. 

If we were to write our accomplishments down, would we feel proud of our actions or overwhelmed with all that God had accomplished through our lives? We won’t be grateful to God until we realize all we can be grateful for because of God.

Paul endured some difficult circumstances, but he could even be grateful for those times because God had used them or redeemed them for his greater good. In Romans 8:28 Paul wrote, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

One day we will stand before God and he can explain how he redeemed even the worst moments of our lives for a higher purpose. Eternity is different because “through him and to him are all things.” We can say what people have said through the ages, “To him be glory forever. Amen.”

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. Wisdom is strengthened when we grow to understand that we can be grateful in all circumstances because we have a God who can do all things and redeem all things for our greater good. We just need to live wisely and “called according to his purpose.”