When I hear the term “fugitive”, two words automatically come to my mind: dangerous criminal. I think it’s interesting that the Bible is full of fugitives from beginning to end. Take Moses, David, and Jacob for example. Three “fugitives” who by the transforming grace of God, become mighty instruments in His hands.
There are 5 lessons that I have learned about the lives of these “fugitives” that I would like to share with you today.
1.God can use anyone- Yes, that includes liars and murderers
What you have said and done does not matter. God can take you, make you new again and use you for His purpose. It does not matter how many times you have stolen, committed fornication, adultery, or murder. As long as you are humble to admit your errors and submit yourself to the hands of the Master, He can still use you. The only unpardonable sin is rejecting the Holy Spirit.
2.Consequences do not equal Divine abandonment- say that again
For every action there is a reaction. It is a fact of life. When we sometimes reap the bitter fruits of our careless actions, it does not mean that our Heavenly Father loves us any less. No matter how big or ugly your consequences are, your Heavenly Father tenderly yearns to hold you through the bitterness and pain.
3. God has a thing for the “small and insignificant”- really?
Back in the Biblical times, birth order was something of extreme importance. A special blessing called the birthright was by default something that belonged to the firstborn. A special blessing that carried an enormous amount of responsibility, nonetheless a blessing. I find it interesting that many of the Biblical characters that were called by God to achieve great things were in fact the youngest in their families. The least of their household. The most “insignificant”. Take Moses, Jacob, and David for example. David was even disregarded by his own father! Coincidence? Maybe not. You see, God has a thing for what human beings tend to dismiss as “unfit or insignificant”. For the outcasts, the oddballs, the lost and basket cases, the “rebels” and the fugitives, for what often goes unnoticed. For what to the eyes of men seems hardly promising, God has a thing.
4.You are more of a target to your calling than you think you are- wait what?
The forty years that Moses spent in the desert were not in vain. The twenty years that Jacob worked for Laban were not in vain. The endless nights that David spent hiding inside dark caves were not in vain. The trials and tribulations that you face today are not in vain. The waiting period that you are going through today is not in vain.
God wants to use you, but just like in any other job, when you work for God you will require training. The kind of training we receive when we work for a human being only lasts for so long, with the goal of making us independent in the workplace. The kind of training we receive from God is the opposite. It lasts a lifetime. You never stop training when you work for God. Most importantly, the more you train with God, the more dependent you become on Him.
5.God has bigger plans for you than you can ever fathom- yes, bigger than that
To the eyes of a simple spectator, it all may have seemed lost when Moses stood at the top of mount Nebo. About to cross the threshold between life and death, he admired the promised land from a distance because he would never be allowed to enter it. But not everything was lost. He was resurrected and taken to heaven.
Even though it all may have seemed lost for Jacob when he was about to encounter his brother Esau and spent a whole night in agony and prayer, it was not. Not only did his relationship with his twin brother mend, but His descendants went on to become a great nation as well. Even thou it may have all seemed lost for David as his firstborn with Bathsheba died, it wasn’t. Solomon, their other son got to become king and was even appointed by God to carry out the construction of the temple. Often, when human eyes see the end, they eyes of God see the beginning.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
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Thanks so much for this in depth devotional! So many awesome truths! One thing that stays with me is the reality of how we never stop training with God. It’s encouraging to know He’s always teaching us something new, because we don’t know it all or can handle everything on our own.
That is correct! 🙂