We Are Clay In His Hands

INTERESTING FACTS : "Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn." - Charles Wesley

DAILY READING : Jeremiah 18-22

TEXT : Jeremiah 18:1-10 "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them."

TRUTH FOR TODAY : We Are Clay In His Hands

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written i the 1640's. It was used to train church members in doctrine, and many parents used it to train their children in doctrine as well. The very fist question, and probably the most well known is the very first one. It goes like this :
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

What is the chief end of man? Another way of phrasing that question would be, "What is the main purpose of man"?, or rather, "What is the purpose of life"? Man has always been looking for the meaning of life.

Those who subscribe to the the theory of evolution have to fabricate some sort of meaning to life - whether it is to evolve into a smarter more advanced species, or it's to leave a better planet for those who follow us. Others just come to the conclusion, based on their theory, that there is no purpose in life. But either way they all have to wrestle with, and answer, the question of life's purpose.

Even in Christianity, it seems, the answer looms. We believe that Christ died for our sins and that we are in right relation with God, but what is the purpose of our life? In the attempts to answer this question that I've heard over the years, I've rarely heard one that lines up with the one given by the Westminster Catechism - and I believe that answer is absolutely correct. The main purpose of our life is to bring glory to God, and to enjoy Him forever.

To enjoy God is important. How can we glorify Him, if we don't enjoy Him? Have you ever bought something from a salesman who didn't show pleasure and enjoyment in what they were selling? I'll be honest - I chase Kirby salesmen from my house with a big stick, but still a couple have crept their way into our house. It takes someone special to go door to door and try to sell expensive vacuum cleaners, and they are at least entertaining. They make you at least think that they enjoy their product, and that you would too. If they came into your house to try to sell you an expensive vacuum cleaner and showed with their actions that they themselves weren't impressed with the product they would never sell anything. The same is true with us. It won't be possible for us to truly glorify God, if we're not truly enjoying Him.

But the main purpose of our life is to glorify God, and to make much of Him in the earth. The best thing we can do for the fallen world around us is to glorify God. To show them that in Him we live and move and have our being.

In the beginning verses of Jeremiah 18 we have the well-known story of Jeremiah going to the potter's house. In it the potter was working with a piece of clay that was marred. So the potter took the marred clay and made something else out of it according to His purpose. The apostle Paul would revisit this illustration in his writing to Rome :

"20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, [Romans 9:20-23]"

God, in His infinite power and wisdom, created each one of us a certain way according to His purpose and for His glory. Our weaknesses that can only be overcome by relying on God are meant to bring glory to God. Our strengths and talents are meant to be used to bring glory to God. Our personalities and capabilities were all created in us to bring glory to God.

Today, let's purpose in our hearts not to resist God's molding and working in our lives. When God brings abrasive and hard things into our lives to shape us, let us not bristle at His work, but accept His purpose on our lives. And let's live our lives in such a way that everything we do brings glory to God.