#potterandclay

[bibleversegarden]

Perfecting a Glorious Church Without Spot, Wrinkle or Blemish

The Lord God, whose ways are perfect, is coming for a holy church without spot, wrinkle or blemish. Saved by and kept by His amazing grace, He continues to transform our lives, for His glory and praise! "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) "It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words." Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 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. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!" (Jeremiah 18:1-6) "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands." (Psalm 138:8) "But He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10) "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." (Philippians 3:7-12) "For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6:10-14) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1 and 2) "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."(1 Peter 2:4 and 5) "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:9 and 10) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10) "That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:27)

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions

[newprophets]

Romans 9 God's Sovereignty and the Power of Faith

Romans 9 – The Potter and the Clay: Understanding God’s Sovereignty

One of the most profound metaphors in Romans 9 is that of the potter and the clay. Paul uses this imagery to explain God’s absolute authority over His creation. Just as a potter shapes and molds clay into vessels for various purposes, so does God shape and direct the lives of human beings according to His will.

In Romans 9:20-21, Paul writes, “Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (KJV). This passage addresses one of the most challenging aspects of theology: the relationship between divine sovereignty and human autonomy.

The potter-clay metaphor emphasizes that God, as the Creator, has the right to determine the purpose of His creation. While we may struggle to understand why God allows certain events or chooses certain individuals, we must remember that He is the sovereign potter, shaping history and lives according to His divine purpose.

This metaphor also speaks to the intimacy of God’s involvement in our lives. Just as a potter carefully crafts each vessel, God is intimately involved in shaping the course of our lives. Every trial, blessing, and challenge is part of His perfect design for our spiritual growth.

Romans 9 challenges believers to embrace a posture of humility before God. We are the clay, not the potter, and our role is to trust that the potter knows what is best. This imagery calls us to surrender our lives to His shaping, allowing Him to mold us for His glory.

#PotterAndClay #GodsAuthority #DivineSovereignty #Romans9 #ChristianHumility #SurrenderToGod

[aheartsgarden]

Gotta Get Back To The Potters Wheel #aheartsgarden #poetry #potterandclay #makemeover #coverme https://www.instagram.com/p/B8xjWlCAv3_/?igshid=1sheqj3l7xn3o

[sccparishchurch]

Scripture Saturday 06/06/20

This #ScriptureSaturday Ian tells us his favourite verse …

Jeremiah 18:3-4 (NIV)

3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 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.

“This is my favourite verse because the potter set off making one thing and turned it…

[jaigairy]

Super super proud of this gorgeous woman right here... My angel... My sugarplum... My amazing @wongalthea Congratulations love. Keep being an inspiration and bright light in all you do. #steppingup #SoProud #BlessedWoman #PotterAndClay

[jimmyrayn21]

BLAQ SQUAD ASSEMBLED #black #breakfast #breakfastclub #yellowchair #groupie #wefie #inputbeforeoutput #pnc #potterandclay #youthministry #youthministryrocks #fellowship #throwback #friday #tgif #uhhuh #keepgoingon #keepmovingforward

[edenconnect]

The Potter and Clay - Part II

Reference Scriptures: Jeremiah 18:2

Scripture Diet: Jeremiah 18; Romans 10; Philippians 3

Introduction

Lesson 1: The need for the Holy Spirit

One  Bible dictionary explains that clay becomes “increasingly miry and workable  as water is added, and more fixed as the mixture dries.” Its nature changes  when it has been touched by water. Clay particles won’t cohere without water,  and if they won’t stick together, the potter can’t shape them. Water—that  softening, binding agent—represents the Holy Spirit.

 When  Jesus declares in John 7:37-39 that “whoever is thirsty should come to  me and drink,” John tells us that He “said this about the Spirit, which those  who believed in Him were going to receive.” That Spirit, as Paul says, brings  oneness to God’s people: “Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit  gives by means of the peace that binds you together” (Eph. 4:3). We need the water of the  Spirit so we can be malleable—so we can be used by God.

 Lesson 2: We are not yet pots.

Scripture  calls us clay. And though there was a chemical similarity between clay and a  pot, the Bible made a clear (theological) distinction between them. We may  look at a pot as fixed clay, while clay itself is a pot in progress. Pottery  itself is neither hardy nor recyclable. If you mishandle a vessel and it  shatters, the worthless fragments won’t disintegrate. Ancient potters would  collect and dump them at special waste grounds—like the heap near which Job  sat while scraping his itching skin (Job 2:8). The Valley of Hinnom  outside Jerusalem was one of such site, a place where the city disposed of  its waste, including its broken pottery. That’s where God takes Jeremiah.

 As  a lesson to Judah (and to us), God relegates a clay pot to this rubbish  heap—not just dumping it, but destroying it. As on God’s command Jeremiah  breaks the clay jar, God explains: “I will break this people and this city,  and it will be like this broken clay jar that cannot be put together again” (Jer.  19:11). God decrees there will be no restoration for the vessel. It  “cannot be made whole again”—not with adhesive tape or superglue or by any  other human agency. The pot shatters. Its “probation” is over. We are not yet  pots: we are still clay in God’s hands. While our probation remains open, God  our Potter still works with us, on us, and in us, molding and forming.

These lessons emphasize our dependency on the leading of the Holy Spirit. Even when you are in your process – walking through fire  and the path of darkness, you are rest-assured that the Holy Spirt will keep  you smelling like roses as you step into your inheritance. On our Christian journey,  its never about our ability to stay righteous. Self-righteous denotes the “Pots”  state but when your righteousness is of God, you are totally dependent on Him  and God sees you with the Len of Christ.  

Talking Points

·          What is your experience of the Holy Spirit?

·          What are the ways the Holy Spirit interacts with  you?

·          What does self-righteousness mean to you?

Prayer Points

1. Lord Jesus, I want to  know more of you. Reveal a new dimension of your mightiness through the Holy  Spirit.

#Holyspirit #Potterandclay #Direction

[reelhearts]

Strangely, I woke up this morning being reminded that I always have many ideals, hopes and dreams that I hope for and think would be the best for me. Yet, it's funny how I got reminded that God always stumps me with something or to do things that I think I wouldn't like at all throughout my life. Heck, I think I would hate. However, I always say God, let your will be done and not my own because I know you know the best. And then somehow, my heart strangely starts to change. He changes my heart to want what he wants and knows is good for me. And then surprisingly, I actually start to think that hey, it's actually an amazing choice. And by faith and by his grace, when I say yes to God to follow what He says, though I think I would hate it... It always ends up to be the best choice I've ever made in my life 😂. I end up loving it so much because God knows me the best even though I may not even know it myself and I thank God I didn't choose to go my own way. So I was faced with a deep question and fear today. If God calls me to somewhere I don't want to go though in my own thinking I think I know what I would love the most... What would I do? How will I feel? Would I still do it? And then the answer I said was still... Yes God. No matter how much it seems I will not enjoy it in my own limited thinking, I know you know the best for me and I know I will look back again and thank you yet again for leading me to follow your will because it always, always is the best for me. So I say yes, knowing that you will change my heart again. To love what you love. Because you are a good good Father and you will not lead me where you don't want me to go 😊. So I lay down my ideals. I lay down my plans and my ways and say God have your way in me because I trust you daddy ☺️💖💖💖. I hope this word speaks to you who are reading too because we only see a small piece of the jigsaw puzzle but God already knows the masterpiece. So, sacrifice your Isaac today and allow God to have his marvellous way because he will never ever short change you but rather, bless you abundantly because of your faith :) #potterandclay #killingfear #Godmoments #renewedmindandheart #letfaitharise (at Lisbon, Portugal)

[dennisgable]

If you're not full of the anguish & joy of Jesus changing you, then I'd recommend making your heart more available to experience Holy Spirit. #graceforall #discipleship #vessel #potterandclay #refiningfire #holy #followerofjesus #notforthefaintofheart #bebrave #submit #thebelonging #church