If you’ve not heard of Jeremiah’s potter’s wheel in chapter 18, please take time to read the story. I do believe I’ve heard a sermon from that chapter no less than once a year – none of them exactly the same, and none of them leaving the same thoughts with me.
It is easy to think of Jeremiah being in prayer and receiving the message from God:
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
(Jeremiah 18:1-2 KJV)
And, it is just as easy to read of Jeremiah’s response:
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
(Jeremiah 18:3-4 KJV)
Then I wonder if I could respond as easily to what I perceived as a message from God. It takes a lot of prayer and Bible study to understand that not all messages do come from God. There are explanations in the Bible:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
(Matthew 7:15-20 KJV)
Knowing what message is NOT from God is important. God confirmed in Jesus that there are two commandments upon which all others are based:
Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 22:36-40 KJV)
Putting our lives – our eternal souls – into the hands of God as our potter, our life’s designer, requires that we are aware of these two commandments and are willingly living by them: God’s call first, others’ spiritual needs second, our own desires last.
In my mind, being called to a leadership position where people’s souls are tended to is a very high calling. The work of a church’s pastor or missionaries, whether foreign or at home, ties directly to souls. We should be praying for them every opportunity we have, every time their names come to mind – and they should come often.
We should be aware that when a flaw in the potter’s creation occurs, the potter chooses to remake the item – or toss it into what is termed “Potter’s Field” where some clay is tossed when determined to be unredeemable. an excellent example follows Judas’ return of the 30 pieces of silver to the high priests:
And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
(Matthew 27:6-7 KJV)
Will we learn of our Lord by studying His word? Will we allow His written instructions to guide our lives? Will we listen for His personal messages to us to respond to his calls for our service to His children?
Will we actually love our neighbors as ourselves? Can you answer as to “Why?” or “Why not?”
