HE IS SHAPING ME AS IT SEEMS BEST TO HIM - II

The Israelites kept disobeying God and kept prostituting themselves to idols of foreign gods. They kept sinning and walking in evil ways. So do we. We keep going in our own sinful ways and prostitute ourselves to the evil desires of our hearts: hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions and the like (Galatians 5:19-21).

But God never changes. Just the way He sent Jeremiah to carry His message of loving kindness and forgiveness, He speaks to us even today and everyday through the same scripture as given above. The message is not about we being at His mercy, when indeed we are but it is about His love and kindness that surpasses everything.

The potter was making a pot but it was marred in his hands. What did the potter do next? A bit of pottery might help here. While a pot is being formed at the wheel, the joints and axles must be tightened and they must function properly otherwise the wheel wobbles and the pot is deformed. As far as the clay is concerned, it should be kneaded properly before putting it on the wheel. The potter never intentionally damages the pot because he will either have to throw away the clay or go through the tedious process of kneading it again before making a new pot out of it. In the illustration from the Bible, the potter doesn’t throw the clay away but goes through the process of making it again.

Even today, His unfailing love is still the same. We judge our success and our prosperity according to world standards. In this mad race, we forget that God’s standards are not world standards. If it were the same, Christ wouldn’t have had to die and there would be nothing called Christianity. Christianity is not a religion but a lifestyle and a relationship. It is the relationship between man and his heavenly father and that’s why we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

Through this scripture portion from the book of Jeremiah, God calls us to give up our old sinful ways and trust Him. God loves us so much that good is not good enough. The Word of God says, “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.” Jeremiah 18:4. Once we get back to Him, He doesn’t just remodel us to be of some use but He makes us as it seems best to Him. Even when God created the Universe and everything contained in it, the Word of God says, “And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25). After God created man and woman, God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31) But according to the promise through Jeremiah 18:4, He is going to make you the best if you return to Him. O’ what a great news! Yes, God loves you and has wonderful plans for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future, if only you let Him work in you. God bless you!!!