The Potter and The Clay
Jeremiah 8:6 Can I not do with you as the potter does? Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in
my hand
I would love to try my hand at the potter‟s wheel one day. As I was thinking about this verse, I thought
about all types of sculptors. Almost every type of resource can be sculpted; wood, glass, metal, rock, and
even man-made materials like fiberglass and foam. Sculpting is done by manipulating the material with
molds, heat or maybe pressure.
Could you imagine trying to sculpt memory foam with pressure forming methods like what is used with
clay? Ask God what it is like, because we put Him through that all the time. As He tries to mold us we
revert back to what our memory knows.
Sound familiar? We all do it from time to time. August is a beautiful baby, what if Chrissie did not feed
her? What if Chrissie only fed her steak? Well if she never fed her, she would obviously die. If she only
fed her steak, she might live a little longer, but there would be some malnourishments along the way and
would eventual die or choke.
She craves milk; she for the most part demands it. And Chrissie being the loving person and the only one
to properly care for her, feeds her and cleans her and makes sure she gets her fill. When August cries
again because she is hungry, Chrissie is there to feed her and comfort her.
We too, like babes, should crave that spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:1) and eat of it till we have our fill. As we
grow, God who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), will give us the nourishments we
need to sustain, as long as we crave it.
Crave: verb: To ask earnestly, beg or demand, to want greatly, to yearn for, to have a strong or inward
desire.
Verb: A verb is a word that expresses action
This is not an English lesson as I know you know meanings and definitions. This is meant to have you
look at it from another angle.
We too, like babes in Christ should express our action, movement, and drive to God for growth and ask
earnestly, beg, demand, to want greatly, and to have as strong inward desire for knowledge of His will so
that we may grow up in our salvation. 1 Peter 2:1 Pompey’s Version
Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which
is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on a
new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
We know that we were headed to one of two final destinations and that wasn‟t heaven, and we needed
Jesus. So we accepted Jesus by faith and per Gods promise, we received our salvation free of charge.
Praise God! Our salvation is not by works but a free gift.
James 2:14-26 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds?
Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you
says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what
good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one
God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father
Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that
his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the
scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”
and he was called God’s friend. You see that people are justified by what they do and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she
gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without deeds is dead.
Very powerful scripture; one could have all the faith in the world, but it is useless without action; forward
movement with full intent in trusting in God to deliver. Imagine this, put yourself in Abrahams‟ shoes, and
you are told that you have to sacrifice your firstborn-Meghan or in his case his onlyGenesis 22
God had tested Abraham to see if he would be obedient. As they were walking, Isaac said:
Genesis 22:6-8 “Father?” “Yes, my son” Abraham replied. “The fire and the wood are here“, Isaac said,
“but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Think of Meghan looking up at you with her pretty eyes and he soft voice saying; “mommy where is the
lamb for the sacrifice?” It would crush you, you would scream at God and say “I won‟t do it”, you would
kick and flail and yell at God-WHY!!!
Not Abraham, after he had got everything ready, cut the wood, saddled the donkeys and after the journey
there (walked in faith, despite the situation) he said to Isaac “God himself will provide the lamb for the
burnt offering”.
Now when they got there they still did not see any lamb, so he continued with God‟s command; made the
altar, bound up Isaac and put him on the altar, with knife in hand, at the point to slay his only son, The
angel of the Lord appeared and said, “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear the Lord”.
Then a ram appeared and its horns were stuck in a bush. (Miracle)
Abraham knew the promise that God had given him- Offspring through Isaac. So God would have to
provide a lamb for sacrifice or go back on His promise and God does not go back on promises.
That is the amazing thing, His promises are made to us countless times thru ought the bible, we just have
to believe. But not just believe, but walk in obedience and full submission without worry, for God will
deliver-guaranteed. We cannot fathom His understanding and how God plots His plan. We are to just go
with it and trust Him.
Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
God will do everything for us; we just need to fully submit to Him in obedience, like Abraham.
I am dust next to God, I am nothing on my own, but I will make a promise to you that I know God will
honor. Firsthand, by the grace of God, I have seen miracles happen to ordinary people of all kinds. I will
not pray that God show you a miracle, so that you may just believe, but rather my prayer and promise to
you, is that God reward you with an obvious miracle from your direct obedience to Him. You will cry and
you will praise God for the miracle as it will be that obvious. This does not make me a prophet, this just
makes me a simple person that believes in the power of God and that miracles are rewards to his
promises that he has given to all who obey him, through Jesus Christ.
Work
When it comes to work, as I know that this is a tough thing; here is what God says:
Ephesians 6:5-8 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just
as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves
of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not
men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is a
slave or free.
You
If things get tough and you say “I can‟t do this”! You are correct; you can‟t, as it is God working in you.
Just do not fight it and let Him work.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it out until
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Your Walk
Understanding your daily walk with God- defining a sentence will help your walk and understanding.
Research what fear and trembling mean. What does „Everything‟ mean? Can I be „Blameless and Pure‟?
Were there any other people in the bible who were blameless and pure before God? Research definitions
and reword verses in exact opposite, but keep the same context, as long as it is not in contrary to the
word of God.
e.g. Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find.
If I do not ask or if I do not seek, I shall not receive nor shall I find.
Still true and still in context. That is to help look at it from another angle to better understand. Here is
another....
Philippians 2:12-15 …continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works
in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so
that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved
generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
Reverse…if we do not work out our salvation with fear and trembling to God who is trying to work in us for
his will according to his good purpose and if we are always complaining and arguing, we will never
become blameless and pure, like the children of God who are without fault in a crooked and depraved
generation, we will not shine like stars like they do. Still in context and it gives us a view of: If we do not
In Everything
Once you have defined what „Everything‟ means then you apply that definition to God. How do we apply
everything with prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving?
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Content Without Worry
Paul talks about this, he said he learned the secret. But how could someone be content and have no
worry when he has been beaten, imprisoned, homeless and been in much worse situations than that?
Philippians 4:11-13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever
the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the
secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or
in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Yes Paul may have been an Apostle, without that calling that God gave him, he is no different than you or
I: for all have sinned. Paul has just made good use of his time, and had learned through-obedience and
faith- to trust God in any and every situation. God does not show favoritism toward any one person.
Remember the bible holds the answers to; all questions, all situations, all types of occurrences and all of
everything that we could ever encounter. God is that awesome, that before he created the world he knew
we would have all sorts of questions and concerns, so during time he made sure that all questions were
answered through every situation documented in the bible.
My definition
Obedience: verb: not being resistant, conforming to, allowing the Potter to mold the clay
May God continually open our spiritual eyes, knead spiritual knots from our hearts, and continue to teach
us humility and remind us of our obedience to serve Him and not the world, through our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Amen