Am I A Vessel Useful to the POTTER?
What if God gave us more than we could handle, more pain than we thought possible, more anguish that we could endure, or more hardship that any single person could imagine within one lifetime—&—What if God did this to reveal His glory?
Would we be willing vessels?
Would we understand?
Would we accept our anguish, our hardship, our “MORE,” IF WE KNEW GOD WAS GIVING THIS TO US ON PURPOSE & FOR HIS WILL—TO SEE OTHERS COME TO KNOW HIM AS THEIR SAVIOR?
Would we be willing vessels, understanding vessels, accepting vessels—OR—Would we be a complaining, bitter, and unfaithful vessels?
I am not sure about you, but I have a favorite Scripture found within the Bible, and quirky as I am, inside the front cover you will find my funeral plans, written for my daughters to use when the day comes for me to go home to heaven to be eternally with the LORD. In my Bible, written as one of the items (in the funeral plans), you will see a Scripture passage (my favorite) written on the inside cover, one that can be read at my celebration of life (if they want to allow this to occur). Truly, my desire is to make the time of my death easier for my girls, so they don’t have to wonder which passage or which melody to share.
Today, let us see this same Scripture as we ponder the question—Am I A Vessel Useful to the POTTER?
“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,
‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.’
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.
But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.”
(Jeremiah 18: 1-4)
I am clay. You are clay. As clay, we are vessels to be used by the Potter, vessels that are to be pleasing to the LORD. As clay, we have no say (really we do not) in the way the Potter wishes to fashion us (the vessel of clay) to be. HE DECIDES! GOD DOES! We are HIS to be remade and remade and remade.
“Your hands made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
May those who fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for YOUR WORD.”
(Psalm 119: 73-74)
Are we Willing? Compliant? Moldable Clay? Uncomplaining Clay—Within the POTTER’S hands?
We have been given Mercy and Grace from the Father, from Almighty God Himself, to become His—HIS VESSELS!
“Thank You Jesus for the right to become God’s Children because of your sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary.”
“So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?
On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it?
Or does not the POTTER have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory,
even us, whom He also called, . . . .”
(Romans 9: 18-24a)
“To serve God, to love God, to enjoy God is the sweetest freedom in the world.”—Thomas Watson
Are we willing vessels, understanding vessels, accepting vessels—OR—Are we complaining, bitter, and unfaithful vessels?
If God gives us more than we can handle, more pain than we think possible, more anguish than we can possibly endure, or more hardship than anyone can imagine—to reveal His glory—WILL WE BE A VESSEL USEFUL TO THE POTTER?
May we be Willing—Compliant—Moldable—Uncomplaining Clay—Within the POTTER’S hands—(us, the lumps of clay who have been given Mercy and Grace from the Father).
May we be Useful Vessels—Almighty God’s—to be Used by HIM!