The mosaic of God's purposes

How long will you stand on the sidelines and spectate as though you did not belong in this display of God's splendor?

The mosaic of God's purposes is the most colourful, vibrant, emotive, beautiful and diverse of all the artworks of this planet. It is the reflection of His glory, His splendor, His character, His person. It tells us when He cries and when He laughs, it tells us when He's watching and waiting and it tells us when He's reaching in and restoring.

What does it look like?
Objects of God's wrath being transformed into the objects of His mercy.
Babies who were destined to die on park benches and in rubbish bins, alone and abandoned, now being put into homes with parents who never bore them but chose them. Hungry families being fed.The sick being healed.The oppressed being freed. Those who have much giving to those who have nothing. These are some of the many pieces that make up this precious mosaic.

The mosaic is you and me. Everyone of us has a spot in this mosaic. We're a perfect fit, God has purposed that you would fill a specific gap in the mosaic.

But unfortunately, many feel like they don't fit, they are detached. They feel like a loose piece, fallen from their place. Disqualified to participate, a spectator.

How do we become the loose piece in the mosaic? How do we become the unsightly gap in this work of art?

Do we have a part to play?
Jeremiah 17: 4 - through your own fault, you will lose the inheritance I gave you.

This is what God says to the Israelites, a nation who had turned their back on the Creator and worshipped created things.

They took 40 years to enter into their inheritance when it should've taken them less than two weeks, because they followed other gods. Just the same, we will walk around and around in the desert and not enter into our inheritance if we continue to follow those things that are more important to us than God's will.
Our inheritance is to be a part of the mosaic of God's purposes, to find our place in the activity of His kingdom. You will never find that place if you follow created things. Follow the Creator and you will find yourself deeply embedded in His purposes.

Many feel unworthy

Jeremiah 18:3-4
So i went down to the potter's house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Many feel marred in the hands of God. You feel like waste, like he's going to throw you in the bin because he can't use you. But, the beauty about God is that He never wastes, He never disposes of that which is in His hands. If it's in His hands, He'll use it.
When we place ourselves in the hands of God and allow Him to shape us as seems best to Him, He shapes us into someone He can use as a display of His splendor.

Repentance is when we lay ourselves at His mercy, and choose to submit to His will and His ways rather than follow our own. It's interesting that it says "shaping it as seemed best to him". So often we want to dictate to God what kind of pot we want to be and what we want to be used for. It's time to allow Him to be God.

Every one of us, at some time, were in rebellion to God. All of us were excluded from His purposes, not one of us had any place in His mosaic.

Jeremiah 18:12 - we all replied, "It's no use. We will continue with our own plans, each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart"

And therefore this is what God said to us,

Jeremiah 18: 17 - I will show them my back and not my face on the day of their disaster.

That's the justice of God, that's exactly what we all deserve.

But,

on the day of HIS disaster, as Jesus hung on the cross, his blood dripping down the length of his body, the agony of his deep wounds sapping his strength, he lifted his head towards His Father. He needed to look into his Father's face one last time to receive that last ounce of strength he'd need to see this through.
And as he strained his head upwards what did he see?

He saw his Father's back turned to him.

And he cried, "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?"

Me, the one who lived a sinless life of perfect righteousness, why me?!

And i believe the Father's response would've been,
"I turned my back on you, my son, so that I never have to turn my back them"
and as he said "them" He pointed to you and me.

The good news is that everyone of us were disqualified but now because of Jesus,

Colossians 1:12 - giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

It's only because of Jesus that any of us have a part in this inheritance of being in God's amazing mosaic, and it's because of Jesus that there's a gap waiting for you to fill it.

What is our response?

Romans 12:1 - therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.

Throw yourself into the hands of the potter and say
"shape me as seems best to you and do with me as you wish"

It's the mercy of God that releases us into his purposes.

Embrace His mercy today.