"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." Jeremiah
18:4 "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." Jeremiah
18:4
From this scripture I am also reminded of the
hymn "Have Thine Own Way," and the words we sing, "Mold
me and make me after thy will."
The potter holds the "vessel" in his
hand and notices it is marred, misshapen. He realizes it can't
serve him in the way(s) he intended it to be used. The potter
is God/Christ. The vessel is a Christian who has become weak:
giving in to temptation, being neglectful of duty, perhaps even
falling back into sin.
Picture in your mind ... In the Potter's hands
the vessel is being remolded. All of the old indentations (sins)
are being erased. The Potter is forming a vessel that is smooth,
strong, and much better at holding what the Potter will fill it
with. He is reshaping our vessels (lives) to become more serviceable
in the Lord's kingdom.
From reading the sentences above, you might think
I'm talking only about someone who has fallen away and is in need
of being restored to the Lord's body, the Church, but I'm not.
There may be many reasons why a Christian's vessel is dented and
marred - reasons known only to the Potter and you. There may be
small flaws that may not be seen by man, but we know they are
there and so does the Potter. Within His hands our vessel can
be molded once again because, with a reshaped, serviceable vessel,
there is much work to be done.
As women in the Lord's service, using our background,
our training, our mind, and, yes, even our weakness, let's fill
our vessel to the point of overflowing and be willing to use all
of ourselves in service to God.
Note these scriptures. "But whosoever looketh
into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed." James 1:25. "But in a great
house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also
of wood and of earth; some to honour, and some to dishonour, sanctified,
and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
2 Timothy 2:20-21.
Should there be any blemishes or dents in our
vessels, we should ask the Potter to reshape us so we can be vessels
worthy to be called Christians. May the Potter instill in us,
sisters in Christ, a willingness to keep our vessels bright and
shining, to bow our heads in thanksgiving, and stretch out our
hands to do His work. As sisters together in the Lord we have
work to do, just as the women who labored in the gospel with Paul.
(Philippians 4:3). The Potter has a purpose for this vessel He
formed and, yes, even reformed. Think about the Potter's purpose
for you, His vessel. -Rt 2 Box 177, Belington, WV 26250. mrmrsl@meernet.com