“…I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was working at the wheel. And the vessel that he was making from clay was marred {blemished, imperfect, stained} in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jeremiah 18:3-4).
God is our Potter {Master} and we are His earthen vessels. He chooses cracked, imperfect, broken vessels to shape and mold to His perfection. He wants vessels that will yield to the filling of His Spirit and reshaping into His image {likeness} __ vessels that will be formed and filled with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). God’s goal is to have all His chosen vessels transformed and Spirit-filled.
God is holy and the vessels that He chooses to shape and mold must be different than those in the world. There are plenty of broken, imperfect, stained vessels around who need the Potter’s {Master’s} touch, and when they yield to Him, He will not cast them out. Vessels that yield to the Potter’s touch confess and believe that they are broken, imperfect vessels who need the Master’s touch in order to be made brand new {whole} (Romans 10:9-10). For whatsoever is on the inside of a vessel will surely come out. If it is filled with pride, anger, lust, selfishness, greed, envy, backbiting, and jealousy that’s what will spill out on others. Dry (bitter, angry) vessels will crack and break under pressure. However, if the vessel has yielded totally to the Potter’s reshaping and molding it will be filled with love, forgiveness, peace, joy, patience, and self-control, which will then pour onto others. For instance, a vessel that is filled with anger and pride cannot hold love and humility. The Word of God states “…Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water”(James 3:12).
We must also remember that we are spirits with a soul that live in a body (1 Thess. 5:23). These threefold parts {spirit, soul, body} must all be fed. The soul {will, mind} feeds on intellectual food for intellectual strength. The body feeds on physical food for physical strength, and the spirit, {inner self}, requires spiritual food {Word of God} in order to obtain spiritual strength. However, in most cases, the body and soul are usually overfed while the spirit is malnourished {starving}. Most of us are quite particular about what foods we eat and to which restaurants we go; yet, when it comes to feeding our spirit many are not as selective and will feed the spirit small morsels, once a week, usually just on Sundays.
Spiritual strength is needed to endure the trials and tribulations that come our way, because once we successfully go through one trial and get a little breather; another one comes, and so on. For it is written“…in the world you will have tribulations, trials {distress, frustration}; but be of good cheer {courage, confident}. For I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Also, “…knowing that tribulation, {hardship, affliction} produce patient and endurance” (Romans 5:3). For example, when a person joins a gym to develop their muscles they starts with light weights, and then add heavier weights to develop the physical body/strength they desired. Well, it’s the same for spiritual strength, as the saying goes: “No pain, no gain.”
Satan does not want God’s vessels to achieve spiritual strength and come to the realization of the power and authority that is inside “…You are of God and have defeated and overcome, because He who lives in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan seeks to distract God’s children to conform to the world-system {lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life -1 John 2:16}. Satan uses the world-system to draw people away from God. Satan wants God’s vessels to lose the joy and strength of being chosen, selected vessels of God, predestined with purpose and power (Romans 8:28-30). God has left His vessels in the world not to conform to it (Romans 12:2), but to let their lights shine and to draw other broken, imperfect vessels to Him.
As chosen vessels of God, we must be about our Father’s business __ shaped, molded and occupying for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission of spreading the gospel, winning souls, and making disciples (Matt. 28:19-20). We must be the salt of the earth, preserving and changing lives as lights from a lighthouse shining and directing the lost out of darkness.
We are living in perilous times and there is no room for infantile behavior. It’s time to grow up from babes and stop playing church and be the church that Jesus is coming for without spot, wrinkle, {holy} occupying and preparing the way for His return. Satan’s strategy plan is to isolate, confuse and separate believers. Our Heavenly Father has given us all power and authority over Satan. We must yield to the Potter’s touch and walk in the Spirit, so that His love and peace will pour out of us and bear witness to others. Total surrender is vital because a vessel that is clogged and unclean {i.e. through selfishness, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy – Galatians 5:19-21} cannot be used. It is also important who you associate with, what you watch on television or music you listen to. We are not to be unequally yoked for light and darkness cannot mix (2 Corin. 6:14). Negative words, thoughts and images will contaminate God’s vessels. We must also disassociate from gossip, for it is written “The words from one who gossips are as dainty morsels; they go down to your innermost parts of the body” (Proverbs 18:8). Our Potter wants His vessels decontaminated and filled with pure, living water “…From his innermost being shall continuously flow rivers of living water” John 7:38
The seasons change from spring and summer to fall and winter as well as Daylight Savings Time. But, we can stand and depend on the word of God doesn’t change “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We are living in the last days; spiritual strength is obtained through prayer, reading God’s word and fellowship with other believers. The word of God will build up to stand and “…no longer be tossed to and fro between every teaching, doctrine, cunning and trickery errors to mislead” (Ephes. 4:14).
In summary, to fully impact others, we must yield to the source of the power and strength within us {Holy Spirit}, allowing the Potter’s {Master} hands to shape and mold us into what He desires us to be. Then His Spirit and image {likeness} will illuminate brightly in and through our clay vessels, and those who are lost, hurting, depressed and hopeless will see a genuine difference in us. Then, we can introduce them to the Potter {Master} so they can yield and receive His transforming touch.
God is the Potter and we are His handiwork!
Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Helen L. Green (Torch 2003)