All Things Work Together for Good?

Romans 8:28 - 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.

Most of us have heard this verse. But, what does it mean? I listened to a sermon by Pastor Henry Mahan and took notes. This is what I learned:

And we know - This is true because God says so in His Word.

that all things - The things on earth, in heaven, in the universe, in time, in eternity, in my life - past, present, and future.

work together - The good and bad, success and failure, poverty and plenty, sickness and health - are set in motion by God and actively work together. (We don't understand things in our life if we look at each thing separately.)

for good - It's not the pleasurable feeling that we want to have right now. It's for our spiritual good, for eternity - not just here on earth. Whatever it takes to bring us to Him, is considered good.

to them that love God - This promise isn't for everybody. It's only for true Christian believers that love the true living God - the God who created us, loved us first, and died on the cross for our sins.

to them who are the called according to His purpose - For those He foreknew and choose, to be in the image of Christ. He called us out of darkness, made us righteous by the shedding of His blood, pardoned and forgave our sins, gave us life eternal, and glorified us.

We need to seek after Him and know Him. He loves us and He knows what is best for us. He has a plan for our spiritual good.