MEMORISE:
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8
READ: Jeremiah 18:1-6
1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 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.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
6 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.
MESSAGE
The even in today’s Bible reading reveal that God speaks to his own at the time He chooses, using a format of His choice. You cannot rush God to speak His mind, and neither can you identify any style in particular as the format He normally follows whenever He wants to speak. In times past He has spoken through the whirlwind, thunder, fire, a donkey and through the works of a potter. If you desire to relate to Him, you need to learn to wait on Him until you hear Him speak, and you also need to open up your heart because He can speak to you through the most unexpected and inconsequential of things. God can even send you to the ants to hear His word, as He did in Proverbs 6:6. It is amazing that God told Jeremiah to go t the potter’s house in order to hear His words there. Why didn’t God just talk to Jeremiah right where he was? The ways of our God are past finding out! Jeremiah met the potter working on a vessel that got distorted in his hands as he worked, and so he moulded it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. After observing this, God then spoke to Jeremiah, saying in Jeremiah 18:6:
“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.”
Although all powers in heaven and earth belongs to God, it is not in his character to force His will or desire on anyone. He loves to work with pliable materials that willingly yield themselves to His authority. He loves those who give Him the freedom to mould whatever he deems fit with their lives, just like the potter did with the clay. In other words, God wants His children to completely surrender their lives to Him so that He can make something absolutely out of them. He considers our resistance to His will as an unwise rejection of His love and beneficial grace. God is asking you today, will you allow Me to mould and reshape your life as the potter? Be wise and surrender your life to Jesus today. He will make something beautiful out of your life.
The destiny of anyone who continues to resist or strive with God is like a broken vessel or smashed clay jar that is damaged beyond repair (Isaiah 45:9, Jeremiah 19:10-13). Let’s consider the examples of some people who ended up as broken vessels. In 1 Samuel 15:1-35, God rejected Saul as king because of his continued and unrepentant disobedience, rebellion and stubbornness. Also, Gehazi’s situation went beyond redemption in 2 Kings 5:20-27: he inherited Naaman’s leprosy as a result of untamed greed and covetousness. Judas Iscariot had the good fortune of being with Jesus, like other disciples, but he rejected several warnings the Lord gave and ended up as a broken vessel. You will not end up as a broken vessel in Jesus’s Name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to finish my race well and also finish strong, in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 1-2
Jeremiah 50:35-51:5
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 2 : OH JESUS I HAVE PROMISED
1. O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
2. Oh, let me feel Thee near me;
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
3. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.
4. O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.
5. Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,
My Savior and my Friend.
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