GATHER UP THE FRAGMENTS OF YOUR LIFE (1)

You are too important to God for him to leave your life just at the whims and caprices of the devil.

The Lord sent word that I should wait on him for three days; he had something important to tell me.  On the third day, he said to me:

“Femi, there are only two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.  Everybody you are ever going to meet will come from one of these two kingdoms.  It is your responsibility to determine which kingdom the people you meet are from.  If the person is from the kingdom of your father, you must determine why I want you to meet him.” 

“Every person you meet, you will meet for a reason, and you will meet by appointment.  Nothing that will ever happen to you will be coincidental.  Nothing will ever happen to you by happenstance.  Everything that will happen in your life will happen for a reason.  It is your responsibility to determine precisely what the reason is.”

Kingdom dynamics

This is an absolutely amazing kingdom dynamic that goes to the heart of God’s providence.  It means everything about the life of a believer is working to a script: God’s script.  Thus, David told God by revelation: “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” (Psalm 139:16).

If you stand on a street and a car passes by, know that it did not just happen.  The car was programmed to pass by.  Everything, and I mean everything, is by divine contrivance.  God is the God of all providence.   It is so complicated; it is mind-boggling.  If you think the internet is intricate and complex, think again.  God intertwines the lives of everyone together as a weaver does the threads of a carpet.  Combined, they are all designed to form a particular pattern.

Just think; there are over seven billion people in the world today.  Nevertheless, you will only ever meet a very small fraction of them.  Why do you meet the few you meet?  Take a second look at the disciples of Jesus, for example.  Do you get the impression that Jesus just chose a random twelve?  Did he make a mistake with the choice of Judas?  Surely, every single person was chosen to play a pre-assigned role.

Successes and failures

Look again at this episode in the bible: “As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from birth.  “Master,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”  “Neither,” Jesus answered. “But to demonstrate the power of God.” (John 9:1-3).

According to Jesus, God has a reason for allowing anything that takes place to take place.  God’s purposes were served even by this man’s blindness.  He was blind in order that he might be healed and that God would thereby be glorified.

There is a simple kingdom dynamic in this.  Understand it; internalise it.  Luck does not exist.  Nothing about your life is haphazard.  You should know that you are too important to God for him to leave your life just at the whims and caprices of the devil.  You are not under situations and circumstances; Jesus has lifted you far above them.  Every little detail of your life is important.  Take nothing for granted. 

When God calls a man, he uses not only his strengths but also his weaknesses.  God uses the complete man.  He uses your successes as well as your failures.  He uses your victories as well as your defeats.  There is a reason why your marriage failed.  There is a lesson why you were attacked by robbers.  There is a purpose even to the madness in your life.

Purpose that is purposed

Jesus fed the multitude by multiplying five loaves of bread.  Then he said to his disciples: “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” (John 6:12).  God would have nothing to be lost.  Therefore, gathers up all the fragments of your life.  While our strengths and abilities make us useful to God, it is our weaknesses that make us usable.  Our failures and shortcomings remind us that we need God’s help and guidance in our lives.

Once God calls you, go into your wardrobe and bring out everything.  Bring out everything about your past.  Bring out everything about your present.  When you examine them, you will discover to your amazement that they are all designed to give you a divine legacy.  Accordingly, Jesus says: “Every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” (Matthew 13:52).

The man who is instructed in kingdom dynamics discovers that all things about his past were treasures.  He did not know this before because he was in darkness but now the Lord has put on the light.  Also, he discovers that all things about his present are treasures.  God has worked and will work everything together for good. 

You now realise that what you thought was bad for you, was actually good for you.  What you thought was inconsequential; was really for the purpose that is purposed.  This ensures that you can face the future in confident assurance that whatever it brings, whatever it holds, the end of it is peace; and the end of it is glory.

Renewal of life

The Lord not only does new things.  He says: “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5).  Can the Lord renew your past?  Yes indeed!  You need to behold it.  The believer himself is a new creation.  He is renewed in knowledge after the image of God who created him. 

When you sit down with Jesus, you will soon discover that the past, the present and the future are one.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8).  The Alpha and the Omega is the one which is, and which was, and which is to come. (Revelation 1:8).  Therefore, as you sit at Jesus’ feet, you start to see your past in a new light.  You begin to have a new understanding of the past. 

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  As you sit down under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, you now start to get an understanding of why he took you through that particular route.  You now understand why he made you to endure that temptation.  And you now realise that, of a truth, God leaves nothing about the life of a believer to chance.  God always causes us to triumph in Christ.

Suddenly, you realise that everything about your life happened in the past.   Everything about your life was concluded from the foundation of the world when the Lamb of God was slain.  That is why a true believer does not wallow in the past.  He has been brought out of time into eternity.  He redeems the time because the Lord makes all things new.

Therefore, a man schooled in kingdom dynamics cannot be a moaner and a groaner.  He does not mumble and grumble.  Instead, he rejoices always, he keeps on praying, and he gives thanks to God in everything and for everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

CONTINUED.