²¹If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared for every good work.

(KJ21)

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. (NIV)

Jeremiah 18

²"Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear My words."

³Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

⁴And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it. (KJ21)

1. We need to accept the design of God's work.

God is the potter, I am the clay. Obviously the potter moulds and shapes the clay, not the other way round...

2. We need to submit to the sovereignty of God.

We can choose who to submit to--Man, the world, the Evil one, or God. In our everyday choices we are already making these decisions.

God chose us.

God chooses to mould clay, though it is useless and worthless to the world. It is not a fine material, not gold nor silver. It is full of impurities. It is hard to shape.

But God still chose us.

Choosing to submit is a conscious choice, an effort, a daily decision.

3. Trust God when i'm on the wheel of circumstances.

Circumstances often spin us rightside-left and upside-down. It is not pleasant, not fun, not exactly how we would like our lives to be. The Potter's wheel is a spinning wheel. It has to spin. Because only when it spins will a beautiful work of art be created, become. Yet, when we are being spun, can we take the pressure? Will we crack? Or give up?

Dear Lord,

We pray that Father You will remind us each day that we are wonderfully and beautifully made by You, that Lord, we are Your piece of artwork-in-progress. That Lord at times when we don't find ourselves particularly beautiful or striking, or find ourselves exceedingly plain, that Lord we'd remember that You have designed every inch of us, and that Lord You love us way more than we can ever imagine. God we ask that this day You'd come embrace us and hold us tight even as we embark on new journeys at work or in school, and that Lord in every endeavour of ours You'd help us to glorify Your name and shine Your light to rid the darkness that is in so many hearts. Father we thank You for having made us, and for not giving up on us, and we pray that we'd love ourselves because God You love us. Lord teach us too, to love others and see them the way You see them.

love,

ron