Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
March 6, 2022
Read Jeremiah 18:1-6
1 Jeremiah received the LORD’s word: 2 Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. 3 So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel. 4 But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him. 5 Then the LORD’s word came to me: 6 House of Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the LORD? Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel!
Good Morning! May Christ mold us into useful vessels!
March in Virginia is always such an interesting weather month. One day it is warm and blustery, another day we still feel the cold chill of winter, and then the next day it seems quite “hot”. Of course, being hot in March is much different than being hot in July or August. Then, there is the rain that is a possibility on many March days. As we prepare to enter a new season, I love looking for the signs of new life around me: the trees, the flowers, and the plethora of birds that have returned. Anytime I need a quick lift of spirit, I can simply walk outside and engage my senses to the majesty of God all around me.
Years ago, my friend received a kid’s version of a potter’s wheel, and we couldn’t wait to make things. As we gathered our supplies, we chatted about all the great containers we were going to make. We could make gifts for others as well as make things for ourselves. “How great this is going to be,” we thought as we got started. Well, I’m here to tell you that our time as potters did not go as we expected.
First, it is a very messy task that probably shouldn’t have been done in our bedroom. Next, there is a lot of trial and error as you determine the proper consistency. We persisted and finally got ready to “throw” our first pot as we read the accompanying directions. Hmmm! We laughed hysterically at this first attempt, but we still believed that we could do this. Throughout the afternoon, we got messier, her room got messier, and each pot that we attempted ended in utter failure. In fact, our best attempt was little more than a funny-looking blob. Being a potter was so much more difficult than we could ever have imagined. Other days, we were a little more successful, but ultimately, like a lot of kids’ toys, we put the gift in the closet and that was the end of our time as potters.
In this passage, God sends Jeremiah to see a potter so that he can see how a true potter can create masterpieces from funny, unimaginable lumps of clay. Christ, through God, is the potter and we are the clay. No matter how misshapen or broken we become, God is there ready to remold and remake us. Even when we appear beyond repair, Christ, the master craftsman, is there to put together our pieces and shape us into the beings that God sees in each of us.
Just like the attempt of making pottery with my friend, life is messy. Christ showed us that He is willing to walk through mud, disease, and unimaginable adversity to claim us as His own and create in us a clean heart ready to serve our God. Thanks be to God. We must accept our role as the clay and allow the Holy Spirit to mold us.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. Our world seems to be broken. Help us submit to your will and allow ourselves to be molded into vessels through which we may share your love with the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Christ chose to be broken so that we could be whole.
Submit to God’s will! Pastor Liz
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