The Potter and the Clay

"And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the Potter; so He made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the Potter to make." Jeremiah 18:4

There is a song that comes out of Hillsong Church called "The Potter's Hands." It's one of my all time favorites because it speaks of our willingness to be fashioned into the vessel that God wants to make.

Has anyone noticed how many preachers/teachers are putting out messages on destiny? "Oh, God has a destiny for your life..." I just heard a couple of them last week. Now don't get me wrong. I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. However, what happens when we drop the ball? What if we mess up? I'm not talking about sin in general but sin that forces us to make major changes? What happens to destiny after a failure?

Let's look again at the Word of God. "...the vessel that he made...was marred..." Now if you look up the word marred in the English language you will find that it means to be blemished, flawed, stained, spoiled or disfigured. In other words - it's not what it is supposed to be. How often do we hear of people in ministry who fail? Too often? I think so. But how do we handle those same people when they repent and are restored?

I recently met a brother who did just that. He blew it! Walked away from a ministry, a family, and a calling. He said that people would say, "I'm sorry that you lost your ministry." He would reply, "I didn't lose it...I left it!" He didn't stay away long (the conviction was too great) but the damage had already been done. I'm not going to take the time to share his name but here was a man who was booked up with speaking engagements 3 years in advance. He was being used by God. Some would say that he was fulfilling his "destiny." Now? He has been working on his marriage, been through counseling, and seeking to fulfill the calling that God placed on his life.

Some would say that he has cancelled out his calling. The Bible says that the "gifts and calling of God are without repentance." How do we reconcile that? Look again at scripture. "...so He made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the Potter to make." We may not be who we could have been, but that doesn't mean that we cannot be who God wants us to be! That may sound crazy to some of you but we serve a God who is able to fashion us again. We may not be what others thought we could be BUT GOD is able to make something out of us.

What if Peter had allowed his denial of Christ before the crucifixion to negate God's call to become a "fisher of men"? Who would have preached on the day of Pentecost? Sure - God could have raised up another person. But Jesus went to Peter after His resurrection and asked, "Peter, do you love Me?" The problem isn't with God and His willingness to forgive and restore. The problem is with us and whether or not we love God enough to humble ourselves before Him. Are we willing to be fashioned again? Will we go through the molding process again? Will we allow the touch of the Potter to shape us into another vessel?

Some would say, "Well, that ministry won't be what it was." They would be right, but at least this person didn't commit a sin unto death! At least this person can be forgiven, built up by the body of Christ, and fashioned by God into another vessel that is fit for use. Oh, how the church needs to hear this message. Your failures in life does not mean that God will never use you again. Sure...you will have to go through a molding process...you will have to endure the fire...but if you are willing - God isn't done with YOU!

Why don't we decide today that whatever happens in life (good or bad) that we will never stray so far that the Potter can't pick us back up and fashion us into a vessel that seems good to Him. Thanks be unto God for His mercy that endures forever!

Remember: You may see yourself as marred but God (the Potter) can already see another vessel.