A Planting of Faith Seeds for the Glory of the LORD
God is the Potter we are the clay…
“The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the LORD gave me this message: “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” (Jeremiah 18:1–6, NLT)
The LORD’s illustration of the Potter and the clay always has a powerful lesson to me, a lesson that is accompanied by some discomfort I might add. I know clay has no internal life so whatever the Potter makes the clay has no choice. The imperfection in the clay pot is probably due to the imperfection of the Potter not necessarily the clay.
The same cannot be said of God who is Perfection at its ultimate best. God is the Potter we are the clay therefore the imperfections in our lives come from us not God. While I would make a terrible potter I’ve worked with clay enough know that it needs to be just the right consistency if it’s too soft it won’t hold its shape if it’s too hard it can’t be shaped. The same principle applies to our lives the consistency we need to strive for is what I call the “Jesus Consistency” which is the right mixture of the softness of compassion, the pliability of humility, the firmness of faith, and the sustainability of love.
“As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” There is no doubt in my mind that God through the Holy Spirit is continually making every effort possible to mold us in the image of Jesus. And because that is the case then as a living piece of clay we are faced with the personal decision will I allow myself to shaped by the Hands of God or not. As for me I choose, “Yes LORD please shape me and mold me.” It then becomes my responsibility to continually examine the life of Jesus discard the inconsistency between his life and mine.
Believe it! Experience it!
Grace and PEACE!
Gary
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.” (John 20:8–10, NLT)
“Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.” (John 20:8–10, NLT)
Note: Should you want to go back and review this Glory Seed or if you’d like to subscribe so you can receive them in your email you can do so by clicking on this link: http://gloryseeds.wordpress.com/.
“Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.”