Jeremiah 18:1-6 - "The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 'Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.' Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] you in My hand, O house of Israel!'" (NKJV)
Do you desire to serve God? Have you ever asked Him to use you? If so, then be warned now: your journey into the deeper things of God will lead you to the potter's house. There, He will break you and re-make you into the vessel He wishes you to be, the vessel He needs you to be if you are to do His works.
Most of us know that, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," but we sometimes fail to realize that renewal is not something that takes place in its entirety when we're born again. Renewal, or "sanctification," begins at the point of the new birth -- and sometimes dramatically so -- but it continues and becomes more profound as we progress in the Christian life. The Holy Spirit digs down deep within us, rooting out sinful attitudes and patterns of behavior, turning over the old, dry soil of our hearts and planting seed from which an entirely new type of fruit will grow, if we permit it. God's purpose in redeeming us is not merely to save us from His wrath, but to make us righteous, to conform us to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:2
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who...made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant..." - Philippians 2:5, 7
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure." - Philippians 2:13
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." - Galatians 5:22
"but as He who called you [is] holy, you also be holy in all [your] conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:15-16
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom [are] all things and by whom [are] all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." - Hebrews 2:10
The Holy Spirit of God knows our weaknesses; He sees the faults we would prefer to glance over; He sees our pride; He knows where our confidences lie, He sees everything in us that is contrary to the will and character of God, everything we protect and nourish within ourselves; and it these things that He must change.
Are you frequently impatient? You may expect find in yourself in more and more situations that require you to wait.
Do you have problems controlling your anger? You will made to feel the futility of it.
Are you self-assured, feeling as though you can handle anything? You may soon find yourself profoundly powerless.
Are you anxious, constantly seeking validation or a sign? There will be times when you will feel as though your prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling.
Do you feel as though you're better than others and probably pretty well off in the eyes of God? Prepare to be slapped in the face with your own sinfulness and inadequacy.
The Christian life is primarily one of dying to self in order to "take up the cross" and follow in the footsteps of Christ, and dying is always difficult. As the body will fight to resist physical death, so our sin nature, our "old man," as the Apostle Paul called it, will fight to resist the renewing work of the Spirit.
"For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." - Galatians 5:17
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul..." - 1 Peter 2:11
A.W. Tozer once wrote: "It is doubtful that God can use a man greatly until He hurts him deeply." The more profoundly you wish to be used of God, the more profoundly you can expect to be humbled by Him, to the point where you may think Him cruel. With the apostle Paul, you may find yourself crying out, "O wretched man that I am!" With the prophet Isaiah, you may exclaim, "I am undone!" As the potter continues to break and reshape you, there may be times when you will find it difficult to believe that He could even love you, let alone use you.
It's never easy to come face-to-face with our own sinfulness and inadequacies. It will shake a man to the very center of his being to see himself in light of the majesty, holiness and power of Almighty God, and this is precisely what the Lord intends it should do. He will not build on another's foundation. He will take us down to the quick, He will shatter us in order to rebuild us in conformity to Christ. He will take away anything and everything we rely on in order to force us to rely on Him alone. He will empty us of worldly things in order to fill us with spiritual things. He will bring us low in order to rid us of the sinful pride that would otherwise lead us to claim His glory for ourselves.
It is in the depths of such abject humility and emptiness, painful though it is, that He can at last begin to fill us with Himself. It is when all of our pride and earthly or inward dependencies are broken that we can truly see our need for the all-sufficiency of Christ. It is then that we will give glory to God with each step we take, knowing deep within ourselves that whatever good we accomplish must be the work of Christ in us, rather than anything we have done on our own, as we will have come to understand just how weak we really are in and of ourselves.
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every [branch] that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit...I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." - John 15:1-2, 5
There is no greater honor in life than to be used by God for the service of His kingdom, no greater pursuit than to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. But, friend, you must understand that before God can use you, you must be usable; and the more deeply He intends to use you, the more deeply He must first remake you. My purpose here is not to discourage you, but merely to warn you that this remaking, this renewal or sanctification, is often very painful because it requires us to surrender the things that are most deeply rooted within us. To change in cooperation with the work of the Spirit requires patience and trust. You will either change into conformity with His will, or you will grow bitter against Him. It is, therefore, essential that you understand what He is doing in you and that you yield to His lordship.
There is no such thing as a single visit to the potter's house. The process of sanctification is life-long, as the footsteps of the Savior stretch on ever before us, always crossing new terrain - sometimes through beautiful mountaintops and fields of plenty, but oftentimes through the valley of the shadow. To endure, to press on in fighting the good fight and finishing your race, you must keep your eyes on the ultimate good that God intends and the promises He has made to you.
Surrender to His sovereignty. Believe in His love for you. Give Him glory when you least feel like it. Trust Him when you cannot "see" Him in the events of your life. Turn away from doubt, believing that "He who promised, is faithful." "Set your mind on things above, not on things below." Thank God for what He is doing in you, even though you may not understand it at the moment. Learn to walk in the Spirit, which is being mindful of the things of God and putting His word into practice in your daily life. Forsake sin. Don't cover your faults before Him, but acknowledge them for what they are. Don't compare yourself to your fellow men (or at least how they appear to you on the outside - the Lord knows their hearts), but compare yourself to the word of God and to His holy character. Lay hold on that which is eternal, rather than that which is temporary.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that [is] in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:15-17
So when you find yourself being broken and remade yet again, rejoice, no matter how painful the process may be and how often it occurs. It is His love that is shaping you. He is emptying you that Christ may fill you and shine forth from you.
He is bringing you to glory!
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2
"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." - Hebrews 12:11-13
"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." - 1 John 3:2-3
