God the Potter

Dear reader,

Listen (or should I say read and know that..)

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 potters 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 into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” Jeremiah 18:1-4

I imagine a potter in his workshop making a bowl. He perfects it as he sees best and it is finished. Now he places it in his house for use. He eats cereal in it, popcorn, some soup and sometimes, it houses salads and sauce. And other times, it can have a mixed meal. Water to drink. All the bowl has to do is be there. Show up! And the same goes for a child, who molds a toy and uses it as she or he prefers. Giving it whatever roles decided upon knowing full well, the doll can do it. It can be anything.

But what happens when the clay bowl and molded doll decide to run away from its maker. Somebody gets it and uses it as they please. They put soiled things in the bowl, leave it dirty for days and suddenly perhaps it even falls and its simply thrown into the bin as trash.

God made us for himself. Its easy to think that we can just decide what to follow or be. I mean, the world has so much information. Its way too much and if we get caught up, we can get lost in the noise and forget who are.

God is pleased with obedience. Abraham obeyed God even when it made no sense. But that was because he knew full well that his maker knew best about him.

Ephesians 1: 3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Vs 17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Vs 22 – 23 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Ephesians 2: 10, “I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do. vs 13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Vs 18 “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” Vs 22 “And in him you too are built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

God made us for himself. In us there is his spirit. So, he is in us in everything. We exist because of him. Without him, we are naught. It is him that we should do always. Submit to God. Our maker. My maker. Your maker. You know, when we think of idolatry, we think of say worshiping a statue made by man. Or animals that give us what we consider precious. Idolatry can be worshiping others. And sometimes, it can be ourselves. How? In the way we say yes to our emotions, agree with our ideas and thoughts instead of what the Creators says. I find that I am quick to say I can’t do that. I love the Lord. But then I see that too many times, I just want to do me. My ideas. To direct my steps. To just do as I please. Involving God where I think I am lacking.

As I was reading the word today, it dawned on me that God is saying submit to me. Obey me. Give yourselves wholly to me as a sacrifice. Because when we live for ourselves, trying to save our lives, we lose them. We die. But God, when we lean on him. Let him engulf us. Lead us, he does more than save us. He frees us. He enlightens us. He gives us abundant life.

I have looked to so many things to satisfy. But in my search, I have found that it is only he who can. It’s not surprising. He made me. He is my potter. And so, I know that perhaps the Ephesians scriptures don’t connect to what I’m saying. Or maybe they do, but there is something about them that as we read, the holy spirit reveals God’s mysteries to us. He makes the word come alive and it works in us.

Submit to God. Give yourself to him and only him fully. And you will have life

Isaiah 64: 8. “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay you are the potter: we are the work of your hand.” Isaiah 45:9…does the clay say to the potter, what are you making? …

We might complain and say, ooh why God did you make me this way. And he is saying, well, I know. I can tell you if you come to me. Its easy to think it best to be as what we see around us. But we shouldn’t be deceived. There is more to us than we see. Other times, the things we identify as aren’t who he made us like.

Until next time, cheese!