Bringing Everything and Everyone to the Right Place

Bringing Everything and Everyone to the Right Place

This is the work of Christ; therefore it is also the work of His co-workers.

“If One died for all, then all died . . . .” 2 Cor. 5:14. Our place is on the cross. Gal. 2:20. Christ’s work is to get us there and keep us there. If the servants of Christ understand their calling, they are working with this in mind.

The place for the enemies of Christ is as His footstool. His work is to bring them to that place. The place for the hungry is at a set table. He works to bring them there. For those who gorge themselves in their abundance, their place is in a barren desert. God’s work is to bring them there. The place for those who weep is in a banquet hall. His work is aimed at bringing them to such a place. The place for the licentious—those who do not grieve—is in hell, and one day they, too, will come to their rightful place. The kingdom of heaven is the place for the poor in spirit, and they will also get there. The place for those who exalt themselves is in the dust, and they will find their place there in due time. The place for the humble is on thrones, and God’s work is to lead them there.

The place for the hypocrites is outside. God is working to bring them there. The place for faithful servants of the church is churches that are worthy of them. God is working to place such servants there. The place for a true widow in her old age, who is alone and who has followed the Lord in her life, is in the bosom of the church. God is working to place her there.

For those who have finished the race, their place is no longer in the world; therefore God takes them to Himself. The place for those who do not have time to listen to everything that God wanted to say to them is in all kinds of bondage. He also puts them there. Those who have forsaken houses and lands and family for the gospel’s sake, their place is among scores of brothers and mothers and houses and lands. Therefore there are hundreds that are available to them.

Those who have given away what they possessed are among the seventy-sevenfold. God is working in order to put them there. Customs belong to the customs office and taxes to the tax collector’s drawer and Christ’s fellow-workers are working to get them there. The place for the subscriptions for the publication is in the publication’s cash box. It is the work of God to bring them there.

The place for the money that we owe to the storekeeper is not in the mission collection. Therefore God is working to hinder it from getting there. The place of the Spirit is where blood and water are flowing. John 19:34 and 1 John 5:8. That is where He is, and there He gives life. The place of the fire is where something shall be burned or purified. That is where it is used. Water and soap are used on a dirty body or on dirty clothes. Those who use such things there do the right thing. Now all cares belong to Him who has atoned for our sins. Those who cast them on Him do the right thing.

All this—putting everything in its right place—is called order in everyday language.

God is a God of order! See 1 Corinthians 14:33 and 40. Not everything that people call virtue is according to God’s heart. For example, politeness usually implies flattery, lying, and empty talk all day long—it is bondage. On the other hand, order is a godly virtue. God is not a God of politeness, but a God of truth and a God of mercy. “Order” is an expression for perfection. In order to be a fellow worker concerning this matter, we must know the laws of the Spirit of life so that we, in accordance with them, can place everyone and everything where they belong. Rom. 8:2; 9:31.

An increased knowledge of the laws of life—such as they are in the body of Christ—is therefore a direct condition for our further growth. This is the same as becoming more skilled in the word of righteousness or having exercised senses to discern between good and evil. Heb. 5:13-14. And this, in its turn, is the same as an increasing ability to put everything and everyone in the right place—and this, in reality, often means giving everything its proper name.