YOU ARE ONLY AS VALUABLE as you allow the Master Potter to mold you. Jeremiah went down to the potter’s house for a object lesson and the Lord spoke a word,
“The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”
Jeremiah 18:1-6
The original vessel (v 4) was not suitable for the potter’s purpose and so he had to remold it. We learn a few things from this illustration. First, our submission to the Lord vastly determines what He can do with us and how much/little He is able to use us for His purpose. Notice the pot is for the Potter’s use – not the other way around. We are His vessel and thus His property, therefore we are to be used for His purposes. We do not tell the Potter what we are going to do nor do we tell Him what He is going to do. We are the clay pot. He is the Potter.
We must remain soft and moldable in His hands. The Bible tells us that our heart becomes hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hence, continuous rebellion and disobedience to the Lord produces a hardness to His hands and Spirit, producing His inability to mold and shape us. Hardened clay isn’t good for anything but to be tossed out. Now I imagine that the process of molding is not pleasurable. I can attest that sitting under His molding is not always easy neither is it fun. All my rough edges must be smoothed out. My will must be put under subjection to His will. How I want to look is not always in agreement with His purpose for me. Stay put.
Secondly, a lack of diligent commitment to follow and obey God and His ways (as Israel had disobeyed and fallen into apostasy) will frustrate His original plan for us. I know one of the most popular and often quoted verses of Scripture is:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer 29:11
However, read the previous verse, after 70 years of bondage, Israel would return to their home land. Most of them would die and only their children would experience this beautiful promise of God. The promises of God are yes and amen; but will you experience them? This is always the question. God will always do His part, but disobedience will cost you.
Don’t look back on your life in regret and proclaim, “If I had only obeyed the Lord!” You can make a terrible mess of your life through one act of rebellion. God can clean up your mess, but those rebellious seeds can affect your whole family and it can be very costly. Why would you even want that? There are vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor in a House. Which vessel will you be? It is only to the extent of which YOU allow the master Potter to mold and shape you! Be moldable in His hands.
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