"I am the potter, You are the clay" Devotional thoughts on Jeremiah 18:1-6

There's a classic worship song that uses the phrase, "I am the potter, you are the clay. Mold me and make me, this is what I pray." I often sing this worship song in private and dedicate my life to God's use, no matter what he desires for me or allows me to experience in this brief time on earth.

I have a close friend who has endured nearly two decades of debilitating and painful physical issues. Kidney transplants, brittle bones breaking, a heart attack, and now pain management that keeps him in a fog most of the time. He is follower of Christ, and rightfully wonders why he was put on earth and what his purpose might be. For much of his life, it's been seemingly unproductive to him. But I disagree.

It's not much consolation for my friend, but when we truly believe that God is the Potter and we are the clay, we give him permission to do with us what he likes (or allows us to endure what no one enjoys on earth) for his glory, not our current level of comfort.

What if God has allowed my friend to go through hell on earth so that dozens of people around him would become men and women of great faith and become prayer warriors? The Lord knows I have been stirred from my sleep in the middle of the night with the need to intercede on his behalf for healing and restoration. His afflictions have made me a far more faithful follower of Christ and his ability to heal and restore.

And thinking about myself, I'm often frustrated that I have not seen my current set of unsaved friends come to Christ no matter how much I pray for them and talk to them about a relationship with Jesus. But what if my purpose on this earth was to share Christ with that girl on the bus when I was ten years old? Who knows what she went on to accomplish for God in future years. I don't think I ever saw her again after our family moved away.

So here's the challenge for all of us today. If God created you as The Potter and you agree to be submissive and be His clay, are you willing to suffer like my friend if that's what God has set out for you to accomplish for the kingdom? Are you willing to do something menial and possibly never acknowledged on earth by other men or women?

It's easy to sing, "You are the Potter, I am the clay..." but when it comes down to actually allowing God to shape you into a vessel that may only be used once; or used for something unattractive; or not used at all but just looked at for its uniqueness; or not yet used because it's not time to use the clay vessel; will you be content?

Devotional Thought

Have you ever found something in a drawer or a closet or in your garage and thought, "Wow! I haven't seen this for a long time. How cool!"

Seems like a lot of people need to do this with their salvation in Christ. It's become so familiar and taken for granted that it's treated like oxygen. I don't even think about breathing most days, and I've only thanked God for oxygen a couple of times in my life when I was stretched for things to thank him for!

But take my oxygen away for even a minute, and I'd be TOTALLY appreciative to get it back and probably thank God for it every day for a long time... until I forgot about it and stuck it in a mental drawer in my mind.

So today I stopped and thought about what my life would be like today if I didn't know Christ and had not received the free gift of salvation I didn't deserve, and just how much of a messed up person I continue to be despite my best efforts and how God loves me despite of myself.

[Interesting side note: The reason most Christians don't share Christ with others is because they no longer value their salvation. This is a big pill to swallow, but it's the truth.]

After I pondered my depravity and thanked God for my salvation in Christ, you know what I envisioned? Me in Heaven, right after I died. I walked up to God, expecting to get a high-speed video showing of my life and all the selfish things I did and thought in addition to all the unselfish things I did... and you know what he said?

"You done good, son. Don't sweat the stuff that Christ died for and erased. I don't see it...I look at your heart."

He spoke like a laid-back farmer too, not like a professor or some arrogant CEO.

So today I am going thank God for oxygen throughout the day, followed by thanks for my salvation from myself. It's as precious as the air I breathe.