Daily Bible Study

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Day 18 Jeremiah 18 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 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. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? says the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. 11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. 12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. 13 Therefore thus says the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. 14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which comes from the rock of the field? Or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; 16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passes thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. 17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. 18 Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. 19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. 20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. 21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have dug a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. 23 Yet, LORD, thou know all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger. We often admire hand-crafted pottery, but we don’t consider all the time and effort that went into making the pitcher, bowl, cup, or vase. We just see the finished product. God told Jeremiah, his people were the clay and he was the Potter, forming them for his purpose. However, the clay determined his own purpose and would not allow God to rule their lives. Hence their disobedience to God and God sending them into exile. As Christians, you said you would follow God, obey him, listen to him, and trust him. You told him you were willing to be molded for his purpose. Yet, when God places you in the kiln, you want out, you want to find another way, because it’s too hot. Or when God starts to shape you with the chisel, making you into a masterpiece, you want to keep some of the bumps and lumps, not realizing that when God is finished you will be a thing of beauty, his masterpiece for all the world to see. Our problem is we want instant beauty, instant perfection, instant gratification. We don’t realize that what we want does not result in a beautiful masterpiece. Only when we allow God to shape us on the wheel of life, molding us, putting us in the kiln, using the chisel to perfect us, putting his design on our lives, and then securing his design by another pass through the fire, will we be a person of beauty for the Lord. Will you stop complaining when the life gets too rough for you? Will you accept that God’s purpose for you is more than your purpose? Will you allow God to refine you for his glory? Let’s pray: Father, I am a lump of clay in your hands. Mold me and shape me after your purpose, and help me see that your ways, your purpose, is better than mine will ever be. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 6 November 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay