MOLDED
BY THE MAKER
BREAD
8 Yet, O
Lord, you are our Father. We are
the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
1 This
is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 “Go
down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter's
house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping
from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another
pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord
came to me: 6 “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.” Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NIV)
9 “Woe
to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the
potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’
Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? Isaiah
45:9 (NIV)
19 One of
you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his
will?” 20 But
who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who
formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the
right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and
some for common use? Romans 9:19-21
(NIV)
20 In a
large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood
and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from
the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to
the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NIV)
28 And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. Romans 8:28-29 (NIV)
7 But we
have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not
destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NIV)
18 And
we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed
into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is
the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The
Potter’s plan is to display His artistry, but if a piece of clay isn’t allowing
His craftsmanship, He’ll contrive some pretty drastic measures. He’ll press it into a ball and start over. He’ll take the same clay and use a different approach. His goal is beauty, and He will stop at
nothings to achieve it…Consider the heart of the Potter – His ultimate goal,
His tender care, His exquisite artistry.
Then apply His heart to your present circumstances.” Chris Tiegreen
“When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small
package.” John Ruskin
“Man finds it hard to get what he
wants because he does not want the best.”
George MacDonald
“One of the first things for which we have to pray is a true
insight into our condition.” Olive
Wyon
“God’s fingers can touch nothing but to mold it into loveliness.” George
MacDonald
“By continually abiding in Christ, the one who has been pruned to
bring forth much fruit will bring forth much fruit.” Elmer
Towns
“Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.” A. W.
Tozer
“We
are reluctant to relax in the hands of the Potter for one main reason: We forget why we exist. We assume that clay exists for the sake of
its own feelings or dreams. We focus on ‘clay
esteem,’ ‘clay actualization,’ or ‘clay fulfillment,’ oblivious to the
infinitely larger purpose of our formation.
Clay really exists for the Potter alone.
When the Artist is allowed to do His work, the clay displays the
creativity of His heart and mind.” Chris Tiegreen
“No one can dissuade God
from His purposes; nothing can turn Him aside from His plans.” A.W.
Tozer
“The Potter is focused
on outcomes. While He is spinning the
wheel, softening the clay, cutting the design, and firing the kiln, He is
preoccupied with one thing: what it will
look like in the end…The beauty of the art is in His mind the whole time.” Chris Tiegreen
“When God doesn’t prevent
suffering, He gives us perspective on suffering. Sometimes you just
have to get a ‘God’s-eye’ view to see that the Master Potter is scooping up all
the rubble and ruin from your low place to mold and create good in your life.
His love reaches down into the dirt – what you may think is utter defeat or
hopeless – and lifts you to see that He can turn what you may view as worthless
into something worthwhile. God can take
what we think is worthless and turn it into something worthwhile. Often,
when we’re down, all we can see is the valley, the wasteland – we feel like our
lives are a mess. But our loving God does not see us and our low places that
way. The stuff you think may be just too messy, too ugly, too far gone is the
stuff God is infusing with purpose. The
sorrow that hurts you? God fashions it into faith that sustains you. The sin you’re ashamed of? God uses it to create beautiful humility. The
failures you regret? God turns them into wisdom. The grief that shattered your heart? God
crafts that into unshakeable faith. The
missed opportunities? God uses those to make you reflect His grace. The loss you never expected? God molds that
into strength you can’t explain. God can
make your low place a stepping stone to climb higher with Him. He
can take even the worst things in your life – the injustice, defeat,
abandonment or failure – to create the best for you, His beloved child.” Jennifer
Rothschild
HEART
SAVOR
- · The Master Potter has the very best intentions for the clay - always.
- · The clay is to relinquish its will in the Potter’s Hands.
- · God uses the ashes in our past to make beauty in our futures.
