The picture of God "The Potter" entered my mind, and i am the clay..!
My hand stretched out to my bookshelf at a book, with a similar picture as above on it with the name "GOD'S POWER AT WORK IN YOU" written by N.Anderson and R Saucy
I believe i started reading this book some years ago,but did not finish it....So i opened it to look in the 1st pages and got a surprise ..... I share it today with you...
God's Desire for You
A long time ago the infinite and eternal Creator sat down at His potter's wheel as He had so many times before.Everything He had made so far was very good,but this time He had something else in mind. He wanted to create something in His own image. Something, or better, someone who could personally relate to Him.
The Potter had already fashioned living beings to inhabit planet earth,but this new creation would be different. Far more significant than all other earthen vessels,this new creation would be fruitful and multiply and rule over all the other created beings who flew in the sky,walked on the earth,or swam in the seas.
So He took a globe of clay and placed it on His wheel. As the wheel began to turn,He placed His thumbs in the center of the clay and formed the inward parts.Miraculously the clay began to take shape.As the wheel turned faster and faster, the clay began to rise from the earth from which it was taken. Fearfully and wonderfully He made this new creation which He had planned from the beginning of time. But He wasn't done. Something was missing. The clay had no life. So he breathed into this earthen pot the breath of life and it became a living being. This fusion of divine life and earthly clay would make this new creation different from all the other created beings.
What appeared to be common was indeed holy,and set apart to do His will.
All would have been well if it hadn't been for a previously created spirit being who thought he should be at least equal to the one who made him. That, of course was an absurd notion, even though he was the most beautiful of all created things.
This masterpiece was created to be a light-bearer. But by his own choice, this rebel became the prince of darkness. Not wanting to be alone in his rebellion, this arrogant spirit being persuaded many other lesser spirits to join him.The Potter could not tolerate this sinful rebellion. So He cast the spirits out of His presence, and they fell from their heavenly abode.
The prince of darkness could not stand the thought that a new creation by the Potter would actually rule over him. If only he could get this new creation to act independently of the Potter.I know what i will do,thought the evil prince, I'll get this upstart pot to think that he too could be like the Potter and decide for himself what is good and evil.What a lie ! " Does not the potter have a right over the clay...?"( romans 9:21) " Will the clay say to the Potter,"What are you doing?"( Isaiah 45;9)
This crafty devil actually managed to deceive this new creation by questioning the word of the Potter, enticing him to do his own thing and live independent of the one who fashioned him
The consequences were swift and immediate. This new creation lost the divine breath that made him spiritually alive and introduced impurities into the clay from which he was made.He no longer had a relationship with the Potter who made him. Because of the impurities in his clay,the earthen vessel would also deteriorate and eventually die. The Potter had designed this new creation and his partner to multiply and fill the earth, and that is what they continued to do,but all their offspring were born dead in their trespasses and sins like their parents. They lost their dominion over all the other creation,and the prince of darkness became the rebel holder of authority that the Potter had intended for the pot and his offspring to have.
Now this rebel prince of darkness had his own little kingdom to rule over on planet Earth. He was the god of this world and prince of power of the air. Fallen pots and lesser evil spirits were under his authority and were slaves to his sinful ways.
But the Potter loved what He had created and had a plan to undo the works of the rebel prince-a plan that would do something about the impurities that now characterized all His creation because He cannot tolerate anything impure in His presence. Through this plan, He would give them His Life again. The Potter said," I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you: and i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And i will put my Spirit in you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws"( Ezekiel 36:26,27)
The Potter"s plan required He Himself to take on the form of a pot and show the earthly pots how to live a life totally dependent upon the Potter. The prince of darkness threw every possible temptation at this Divine Pot in the hopes that He too would choose to live independent of the Potter,but He stood His ground and declared that pots don't live by the things of this world but by everything that comes from the mouth of the Potter ( see Matthew 4:4) But He had to do more than just show them how to live,because the consequence of their impurities was certain destruction.
So this Divine Pot who was sent from the Potter had to take all the consequences of the impurities of the fallen pots upon Himself in order that the fallen pots could become pure again. All the forces of evil came against Him and the Potter's just anger against impurity fell on Him and He died. He died to sin once and for all for the fallen pots who would trust in Him. Then three days later ,this Divine Pot was resurrected,showing that His death had defeated the prince of darkness and made it possible for all the fallen pots to be forgiven and receive divine life if they would only believe Him. The law of life in this Divine Pot was greater than the law of the impurities and the law of death.
Although the prince of darkness was defeated, he and all his evil spirits were allowed by the Potter to continue roaming across the planet earth untill their final judgement came upon them.
Their plan was to blind the minds of the unbelieving pots so that they could never hear the good news that the divine pot had come to die for there sins and give them life.Many believed this lie and never received their pardon.Others believed the truth and were instantly forgiven and they received the life offered by the Divine Pot,but the evil one tempted,accused,and did everything within his limited power to get the forgiven pots to believe his lies.
To all the pots that heard the good news and responded to the truth the Potter sent His Spirit of truth to guide and bear witness that they truly were children of the Potter. He said to them," Like clay in the hand of the potter,so are you in my hand"( Jeremiah 18:^). Because these redeemed pots had been molded by this world, He had to remake them in His image. These new creations could not be made by there own, but they would have an important part to play in becoming more and more like the Potter.Although they would have many other useful purposes for remaining on planet earth,nothing was more important to the Potter than to have all His redeemed pots free from there awful past and become pure like Him........
This book is about CHANGE...-SANCTIFICATION-
The common to made holy by the hand of God
About sinners becoming saints.
And about children of wrath to become children of God.
" Be holy because I am holy " ( 1 Peter1:16)
Have you made the decision to let God be God and desire nothing more than to be the person He created you to be?
Are you convinced that the will of God is good,acceptable, and perfect for you( Romans 12:2) even before you know certain what it is? Be assured that God loves His children and He has no plans for you that aren't good, although you will surely undergo some times of testing in order that you may be purified. We have been warned in 1 Peter 4:12-14.......
The REFINER'S FIRE is necessary in order for the Potter to conform His earthen vessels back into His image................
The songwriter said it well:
Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
it's to be holy
Set apart unto You my Maker
Ready to do Your will.
Romans 12!