Jeremiah 18:1-6 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 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. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
Every now and then, I spend a little time reminiscing, and I think about all of the people who have been a part of my life. I’ve learned many life lessons and gained much knowledge from those who have worked to shape me into the person I am today. I have overflowing gratitude to all of those who have poured into me over the years helping me to become me. But we must be careful who we are allowing to shape and mold us. I have told my children multiple times to be careful when choosing who they spend all their time with. We tend to become like those around us. That’s not always a bad thing, but it can be. If we’re hanging out with those who are steering us away from Christ, then that can be very bad indeed. Who is shaping and molding you?
I love the parable in Jeremiah about the potter. In this scripture, the Lord tells Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house. Jeremiah arrived and saw the potter working on a jar. The clay became flawed so he made it into another pot. Then God told Jeremiah that he could treat Israel as the potter treats the clay in his hand.
God shapes us and molds us into the image of Christ. He is in control. He took a broken vessel like me, and He gently shaped me, molded me, and made me into a vessel for His service and glory. He gently works out the flaws. After a potter shapes and molds his clay, he has to put it into the kiln. Fire is used to solidify the vessel. In our daily walk, there will be times when we feel like we are in the fire. That’s okay though. Just keep on walking through that fire and remember that intense heat you are experiencing is solidifying the work that Christ is doing in and through you. We gain knowledge through trials, but even more importantly, we learn to lean on Christ when we are going through the fires of life. As we lean more on Christ, we then spend more time with Him, clinging to His Word. The more time I spend in the Word, the closer I become in my walk with Christ. He’s still shaping and molding this girl. I’m flawed, and I’m a continual work in progress, but I am so thankful I am in the Potter’s hands!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 