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Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
A master potter knows clay. He knows how to mix the clay to just the right consistency. A master potter never begins forming the piece of clay and thinking “Hm, I wonder how this will turn out? Will it be a large vase, or a plate, or a mug? Let’s just throw it out here and see what happens!” Nope. Not going to happen. Not for master potter.
The master potter sets out to make a clay vessel that is practical, beautiful and flawless. Yep, flawless. Because one small flaw in the vessel can make it weak and completely useless. The master potter goes into the project knowing exactly what the end result will be. He knows there will be flaws, but he’ll work them out. Flaws don’t bother him because they are expected and can be solved even if it means starting over again.
The master potter knows that a good vessel takes time and he’s willing to take all the time necessary to make sure this project before him turns out as planned. He’s not willing to leave the work undone or done poorly because his name is on the vessel. Everyone in town looks for his vessels because they know his time consuming work.
Our Heavenly Father is referred to as the potter and we as the clay. As master potter, our Father knows what he wants us to look like. He wants us to look exactly like Jesus. He knows it will take time. He knows there will be flaws that need to be worked out. Worry, addictions, guilt, rebellion, anger, hatred, judgmental attitudes…all flaws that can be worked out with time and the strong fingers of his mercy, grace and love.
People that don’t understand the art of molding clay into useful vessels don’t understand. They see imperfections in the clay and think it’s worthless and that it needs to be thrown out. Our Father knows that no clay is worthless. He knows that with time and passion he can work out any flaw. From the clays perspective it will be painful, but the potter knows that the end result will be worth his time and worth the clay’s pain.
One more thing about the master potter. His hands are on the work from start to finish. He never leaves a project to start another one. You are always in God’s hands. He is always forming you and shaping you. He is always using the events of your life to work out the flaws. He’s willing to take the time. He wants you to look just like Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for your great love. I thank you that your love is willing to take the time to work out the flaws in my life. I look at myself and can’t imagine these flaws ever being gone. Thank you for your patience with me. Thank you for your love and grace. Give me the strength to endure the working out of the flaws in my life. Help me to look more and more like Jesus every day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12
The tiny seed is an amazing thing. When we plant our gardens we cultivate the soil and make it as easy as possible for the plant to grow. But in nature, that isn’t the case. A tiny seed floats to the ground. It falls into the smallest of crevices in the rock. Soon tiny fingers of roots emerge from the seed and take root in the rock.
Over the years, in all sorts of weather, the roots from that tiny seed continue to grow harder and stronger. The rock is no match for the tenacity of the roots. Soon, after years of struggle, a tree grows out of the sheer cliff. No cultivation. No special tools. Success comes from persistent pushing against seemingly impossible odds.
It happens over and over again in nature. Life springs from the most unlikely places all because of one small seed dropped in an unlikely spot. Sometimes the wind carries it to its resting place. Other times it hitches a ride with some unsuspecting carrier to a spot perhaps miles from its origin.
Each of us has an opportunity to be seed carriers along the path we call life. Sometimes we have opportunities to throw out those seeds intentionally. Other times our ‘seeds’ may be quite by accident.
A seed of encouragement scattered in someone’s life may result in hope. A seed of forgiveness fosters peace. A seed of appreciation brings the fruit of joy. A seed of understanding can make relief bloom. The seed of patience grows confidence.
What seeds can you spread today? Cultivation isn’t required, only willingness. Expertise isn’t needed only love, because passion beats technique every time. When Jesus was asked the most important commandment, he gave two and both were summed up in one word: love.
The seeds of love you spread will break the driest soil, the hardest rock, the soul that has all but given up on life. It may be something as simple as a smile or a ‘thank you’. It may be something as hard as saying ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I forgive you.’ Perhaps it will be something as compassionate as, ‘I don’t agree with you, but I understand and accept you.’
Sow love today in the lives of those you come in contact with. Don’t worry about whether you thing the soil is ready. Ours is not to cause growth. Ours is to plant seeds. Seeds of love. Seeds of forgiveness. Seeds of grace. The seeds of Christ’s love that you sow today may take time to sprout, but nothing can stop them from growing.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for the love you continue to show me even when I’m hardened and rebellious. I pray that you would empower me to sow seeds of your love and forgiveness to everyone I come in contact with today. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. Acts 24:16
Being misunderstood and wrongfully accused is never easy. It’s even harder when those closest to you lie in order to try to make you look bad in front of others. That was the case when Paul was drug into court for being a troublemaker.
Before his conversion, Paul was considered an expert in Jewish law and one of the up-and-coming religious leaders. He was the poster child for ‘Jews against Jesus’ and was responsible for many people being stoned, sent to prison and even arrested for following Jesus of Nazareth.
Then, miraculously, Paul found Jesus, or should I say, Jesus found Paul and from that moment on his life was changed forever.
The problem is, people don’t like change. Even though Paul was right about his message, it was different that the status-quo religious system of his day. Paul was a rebel and even though his faith in God was deeper than it had ever been, people around him saw him as a rebel and a heretic. Paul’s enemies for the most part were the same people he worshipped with in the temple. They were his closest friends. They were his spiritual as well as physical family.
God’s character never changes. He is always love. He is always a God of mercy and grace. He is always willing to forgive us when we stumble and fall. But He doesn’t always work through the same methods. God changes His methods as society changes in order to bring as many into His Kingdom as possible.
Sometimes we may be misunderstood by those closest to us. Sometimes we may even be called a heretic. Some may even question our salvation. When others question your motives or methods it’s always important to measure what they say by what God is telling you. He may be asking you to open a whole new avenue of ministry to reach out to people who need to hear about Jesus.
I knew a pastor in a small town who was burdened for the people in the bar just down the street from his church. On St. Patrick’s Day one year, he went down to the bar. He didn’t drink a drop. He simply visited with patrons of the bar. As ‘luck’ would have it, his picture showed up in the local paper as part of a story about St. Patrick’s Day revelers. As a result, the church he pastured for several years fired him! Sometimes God may ask you to take a risk for Him even though the ‘religious community’ will look down on you. If that happens, make sure your conscience is clear and your motives Christ-like. Then, REJOICE! You are now part of an elite club made up of Paul, most of the disciples, many spiritual leaders throughout history, and most of all, the club president—Jesus Christ!
PRAYER: Father God. I thank you for people like Paul and others who have been willing to break ranks with the ‘religious status-quo’ in order to do new and exciting things to bring others into your Kingdom. I ask that you would give me the courage to be willing to step out risk my reputation if need be in order to reach people for you who may never enter a church door. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 