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 18:4
Those who follow Jesus are shaped by the hands of the Lord. He is a perfect potter who takes a cracked or shattered pot marred by sin and forms it into a precious pot of redemption. It becomes precious because the fingerprints of God mold the moist clay of surrender into a form that seems best to Him. His best is beautiful, radiant, and full of His glory. The rough edges of rejection are smoothed over by the Lord’s sweet acceptance. The air of insecurity is worked out and replaced by the breath of God’s grace and Spirit.
Our loving Lord uses fiery trials to temper our trust in Him. The heat of heart break, breaks our will to mold it into His will. Weepy eyes look to the Lord for relief and refuge. We are shaped and made secure by Christ during fiery trials, and like the three Hebrew boys we come forth from the flames stronger in the faith. Yes, we may momentarily lose our happy face when challenges occur, but we can count it all joy for our lesson in perseverance, and maturation in faith. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3
Furthermore, it is important we not obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit in the unformed faith of those developing on the potter's wheel. Helping can sometimes hurt if we temporarily rescue another from a trial meant to make them more dependent on the Lord and not codependent on us. Our benevolent efforts may make us feel better, but backfire by prolonging a backslidden lifestyle. God’s growth process removes impurities and replaces them with His fired glaze of grace.
Helping hurts when short sighted sympathy trumps eternal empathy. Short sighted sympathy wants to fix a person or problem before a prayerful problem solving process is employed while eternally motivated empathy takes into account that God is at work all around us to accomplish His purposes in our lives. Thus the best remedy may be not to offer a remedy, but to wait on the Lord to work out His outcomes. We are called to help, only if it helps bring glory to God.
Our loving Lord uses fiery trials to temper our trust in Him. The heat of heart break, breaks our will to mold it into His will. Weepy eyes look to the Lord for relief and refuge. We are shaped and made secure by Christ during fiery trials, and like the three Hebrew boys we come forth from the flames stronger in the faith. Yes, we may momentarily lose our happy face when challenges occur, but we can count it all joy for our lesson in perseverance, and maturation in faith. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3
Furthermore, it is important we not obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit in the unformed faith of those developing on the potter's wheel. Helping can sometimes hurt if we temporarily rescue another from a trial meant to make them more dependent on the Lord and not codependent on us. Our benevolent efforts may make us feel better, but backfire by prolonging a backslidden lifestyle. God’s growth process removes impurities and replaces them with His fired glaze of grace.
Helping hurts when short sighted sympathy trumps eternal empathy. Short sighted sympathy wants to fix a person or problem before a prayerful problem solving process is employed while eternally motivated empathy takes into account that God is at work all around us to accomplish His purposes in our lives. Thus the best remedy may be not to offer a remedy, but to wait on the Lord to work out His outcomes. We are called to help, only if it helps bring glory to God.
Come worship with us Sundays (10:45am) and Wednesdays (7pm) at First Baptist Chesterbrook 1740 Kirby Rd.
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