Jeremiah 18 - He is the potter, we are the clay

Who do I think that I am?

Jeremiah 18 starts with the Lord telling Jeremiah to go and observe the potter. Vs 3-4 says "So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 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."

The Lord then uses that as an illustration of what he can do to the nations: as He pleases.

It reminds me of the ending of Job found in Job 38:1-42:6 where God reminds Job that He is the one who created the world and has been there from the beginning of time. Job sees only this little slice, God sees it all. Who do we think we are to question him? With our limited viewpoint, what possibly makes us qualified to tell God how things ought to go.

When we consider his power. How He created the world. We create small things - He created the materials from which we create. The author and inventor of all things. With our limited power, what possibly makes us qualified to ignore God's commands for our lives?

Sometimes I must just think about how all-knowing and all-powerful He is. Who am I? This is not a lack of self-esteem on my part. Rather it is the realization that to get my value as part of His family is a hundred times better than whatever I think I get on my own. To lose myself and my will to Someone so mighty and so holy is only to lose myself to something bigger and better than anything that I could attain on my own. My ideas of greatness pale in comparison to His.

Who do I think that I am? No one, except for who God calls me to be.

What can I risk for the kingdom?

This blog is about training for a crown that lasts. Often this is what God is teaching me through his word. Today I wanted to share what he is teaching me through another book that I read which really made me think about things.

I just completed reading the book called "Safely Home" by Randy Alcorn which is about an American businessman who visits a friend in China who is part of the underground church. Quan risks his life and freedom every week when he attends church. He risks his life and freedom daily by having a bible in the house. What is on the surface a terrible situation is considered by the members of this underground church to be a blessing. They count it gain to share in the suffering of Christ. The government's attempt to squash them only goes to show how worthy Jesus is, that so many are willing to risk so much for Him.

Throughout the story Quan is constantly looking for who needs Jesus and then telling them about Him. People who are sad, people who have no hope, people in prison, prison wardens who lack higher purpose. This highly convicted me to keep a sharper eye out for the lost and then sharing his love with them. I do not risk jail as he did, I risk rejection. I risk "offending" someone.

Jesus talks a lot about suffering for Him. It occurs to me that if I am not suffering, it may just be that I'm not serving Him to the level that I should be. I'm certainly asking the questions: what more can I risk for the glory of God? What am I holding back because I am afraid? What could I accomplish for His kingdom if I drew on His strength to overcome this fear?

I don't think that is the last time I'm going to read that book. Certainly I'm going to keep asking those questions - every day.