God Moulds Us As He Wills
BRD REFLECTIONS
Jeremiah 18 and Psalm 23 (NIV)
(Adriel Gwee, Assistant Zone 3 Leader, Small Group Ministry)
READ:
Jeremiah 18:1-12 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
God asks Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house where God will speak to him. Jeremiah obeys and observes the potter working and remoulding clay that was spoilt into another vessel that the potter deemed fit. God then speaks to Jeremiah telling him that Israel is the clay and that God can do with Israel what the potter did with the clay. God then states that if He wills for a nation to be destroyed for its disobedience and it repents, He will relent of the disaster that was planned. Vice versa, if God wills good for a nation and it turns to evil, God will relent of the good that He had planned for it. God then tells Israel that He has planned disaster for them and asks them to repent.
APPLY:
God is able to take us even when we feel we are not worthy and mould us into a vessel fit for His purposes. This requires us to walk rightly with Him. Just as God warned Israel of the impending disaster He had planned for them so that they would repent and turn to Him, God wants us to turn to Him and remain in Him as well. Even after we have turned to God, we need to remain in Him. If we turn away again, God will relent of the good plans that He had for us. All this shows me God’s grace and how He works despite our failings to shape us for His purposes.
DO:
I am reminded to live in light of God’s grace, to allow Him to mould me as He wills. This includes the painful times when He may be doing the moulding to get me to repent in a certain area of my life. I need to respond to such warnings with humility and not as Judah did when they hardened their heart and continued in their own ways.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me even when I am unworthy. Help me not to take Your grace for granted and to walk in step with You each day. Help me to heed Your promptings and warnings to turn back to You when I have strayed from Your path and not to harden my heart and pursue my own plans. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
