03/01/2024 – God must shape you before He can bless you
Jeremiah 18: 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
When God created Adam, He molded him from dust. From all the raw materials God had already created, and with all the precious metals and stones available in the earth…God chose to create the first human out of dust. He could have used gold, silver or at least marble. Those materials are valuable no matter what shape they form. But God wants us to know that our worth is not intrinsic. The only reason we have any value is the work of God in us.
So, it does not matter what a person’s condition, situation or position is. God can make a precious vessel, a work of art, a glorious person out of anyone. AND He prefers to use materials of lesser intrinsic value. God is glorified fully when He extends mercy.
Before God can fill you, He must shape you. This is a process that requires wisdom and skill in the hands of the maker, and complete submission in the part of the clay
We are being molded by God for His glory. God did not just create a person- He molded him and shaped him according to His design and His will for his life. Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are? There are many factors that shape our personalities, our character. Every experience, every person to whom we relate influence who we are in some way. We are vulnerable. We can be influenced and shaped by negative environments and philosophies.
God sent the prophet Jeremiah to the potter’s house. This is where the shaping takes place. Our parents teach us manners at home. Our teachers shape our minds in school. At work, we are banged and bruised, and our character is shaped. The world makes every attempt to mold us, to make us conform. But in the house of God…in the potter’s house, our spirit is molded to become a worshipper of God, a prayer warrior, a royal priesthood. Servants of God must be molded.