Good morning my son,
Good morning my daughter,
Jeremiah 18:1-6
“This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the Lord:
'Go down to the potter's house, and
there I will give you my message.'
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 in his hands; so the potter formed it inot another
pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
“O house of Israel, can I not do with
you as this potter does?”declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand
of the potter so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Sometimes it is very difficult to
accept the truth embodied in this passage. See we, okay . . . me
(you can jump in with me if it sounds like you too, LOL) like to
think that we do a lot in making us who we are. But the truth of the
matter is that we are being molded, by God for God's purposes.
Now, here's a true of false for you . .
. True or False – to think that some other being is molding and
shaping me according to their will makes me feel AWESOME! Or True or
False – when I think that some other being is shaping and molding
me according to their will I want to knock their hands off of the
“potter's wheel” and take over myself. Which of those statements
is true and which is false. Now before you reply take a moment and
look at the evidence in your life that would support one or the
other.
See I would like to say that I think
that I welcome the potter's hand shaping and molding me. This
supernatural being – God of the universe – molding me as to how
He wants to. Allowing what experiences He wants into my life. It
makes for a real smooth and righteous position to take. We all like
to think that at least our pastor or dad stands always in that
position. Especially if I am the one expounding that you should.
But is that the truly the case for me. And if not, why not?
See God allows tornadoes and hurricanes
as well as he allows cool summer breezes. He allows floods as well
as He allows streams of cool refreshing water in my life. In some
ways it is true that I do not have any control in which I will
receive - the hurricane or the cool summer breeze, the flood or the
cool refreshing stream. That's a problem, in that I think I could
tell you which ones I would prefer. But the fact is God would be
the one in control and would choose which one I would have to receive
. . . Well I don't know if right off the bat I would like that. I
think I would buck a little . . . especially if it is the hurricane,
tornado or flood He is sending or allowing in my life.
There is the storm that comes into your
life due to the simple fact that you are living. Then there is the
storm that comes into your life because you are reaping the
consequences of your own actions; because you and are are getting a
taste of what we actually deserve for what we have done. In our
passage today he is dealing with the pain which comes as a
consequence of our decisions:
Jeremiah 18:7-10
If at any time I announce that a nation
or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that
nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not
inflict on it the disaster I had planned.
And if at another time I announce that
a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does
evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the
good I had intended to do for it.
So here the Lord was saying that his
desire is to reward those who do right and punish those who do not
and do not repent. Although he is has made it clear He is the
potter, He has also made it clear that we have a little input in how
he goes about shaping us – in blessings or in pain. In every case
though we see that the evil that God may be allowing into our lives
has an overarching purpose . . . do you see it? The purpose: to
draw us to Him.
Now for that to be a good thing we must
believe that He loves us and that He desires only the best for us.
We must believe that He desires to bless us, to keep us. We must
believe that he desires for us to have water in a thirsty land and
rivers in a desert. That He desires us to be like a tree planted by
rivers of living water, whose leaf does not wither, and who bears its
fruit in its season (should sound a little familiar). See the
tornado and the hurricane in our lives are truly only destructive
things if they do not accomplish their purpose – to draw us to Him.
They are also only destructive things if we do not see God as He was
described here and more importantly in His word. See if God is as He
says He is, If Christ is as He says He is; if He came that “we
might have life and that more abundantly,” then why would we buck
and fight Him in trusting Him to do as He wishes with us.
Remember the hymn: “Have Thine Own
Way Lord.” The song goes: “Have thine own way Lord, Have thine
own way. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me
after your will. While I am waiting, yielded and still.”
That song embodies within it a belief
in a loving God, not just a some other being. You did catch that
right? I referred to God as “some other being” in the beginning
today. Almost like he was on the same level as us. The description
belies a lack of knowledge of the character of the being, or of his
relationship to us. And yet I was speaking of God. One of whom I do
know His character, and I do have knowledge, personal knowledge of
his love for me. God is not just some other being He is the supreme
creator of ALL beings, and He has chosen to love me as His own. “I
know in whom I believe and am persuaded that He is able. To keep
that which I have committed, unto Him against that day!” I know,
not another hymn . . . sorry but I love those old hymns. I may be
old fashion, but I think that each Christian, you and I, should have
two books that are opened and read/song each day - the bible and the
hymnal (book of hymns).
God is our potter and we are his clay.
We do have a choice as to whether we will utilize the pain and hurts
in our lives to accomplish their purpose to draw us to Him or if we
will not. Unfortunately for the Israelites they apparently did not
make the right choice:
Jeremiah 18:11-12
Now therefore say to the people of
Judah and those living in Jerusalem, “This is what the Lord says:
Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against
you. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and reform your ways
and your actions.” But they will reply, “Its no use. We
will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the
stubbornness of his evil heart.”
Really? Its no use? God has already
explained what he will do if they repent. He has told them what to
do. They know what He says He will do if they do repent, turn and
reform their ways and actions. He told them, remember. However,
they say “its no use.” Really?
Why would they say its no use and
remain hell bent? Simple answer. They did not believe God would do
what God said He would. They did not believe God's word.
Is that not the same reason that you
and I will not do what we know we should do? Why we may not obey His
word? We really do not believe He will bless us? We do not believe
that we will be so embraced by His love. Perhaps its because we do
not know what He says He will do, or understand how exactly he works.
See I have followed the Lord, I would say. I have done what He
said. I still lost my job. I still have no work. I still am
dealing with any number of things, bad relationships, crazy folk,
heart aches, illness and disease. So God does not seem to be doing
what He said. I am supposed to have a life full of roses with no
thorns . . . Right?
Take the time and read Jeremiah
chapters 17 and 18 completely. No time to do that here. But let me
point out one portion:
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“. . . blessed is the man who trusts
in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the
water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear
when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no
worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Did you see it? Does the man/woman of
God who is following His way not go through the heat? Is there no
drought, or dry spells without any rain, in their lives? NO. The
man/woman of God will experience heat, and drought. You may look at
your life and feel like you are in 125 degree burning sun with no
shade. You may think that you have not had a cool drink of water for
a long time. Yes you and I who follow the Lord will still find
ourselves in those places . . . the difference is we will be watered
like that tree even in the heat, from roots and a stream that no one
else may see. We will have green leaves and will bear fruit, fruit
that others will enjoy and that bears the seeds for more life in our
lives. We will not fear or have worries. This is the difference for
those who trust in Him.
So doing right, drawing near God will
possibly change the way the potter molds us. We have a choice that
cuts to the core . . . will we believe what God says about Him or
not. Will we trust in His word or not. Will we repent and turn
where we see that we are contrary to His word or not.
The Israelites were wrong. It is of
use to do what God says. He is the potter and we are the clay. He
loves us and wants only the best for us. Let's do our part and love
and follow Him.
You and I have no reason to buck
against God or to fear Him being the potter of our life. He loves
you and me. He really REALLY loves us!
Love yah,
dad
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