Devotional - September 17, 2025
Scripture: Jeremiah 18: 1-4 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 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.
Jeremiah is told by God to go to the potter's house. He goes and there sits the potter working away at shaping a pot. The pot is marred, misshapen, disfigured. That is a problem. Pots in their day were for day to day use. Not like today, where people put them on display and use them for decoration. They were used for hauling water, storing food, or eating from. If a pot was disfigured, it could not be used and was worthless to the owner. In this case the owner and the potter are the same person. The potter fashions the pot to suit a particular purpose, what seemed best to him. As the clay, Israel is working against the LORD toward their own purpose. When a potter forms another pot, he does not get new clay. He collapses it back down to a ball and begins reforming it again. If we allow our imaginations to expand a bit, what does the clay and the potter both need? They need to have the same vision of the final product. They need to work together to achieve it. The potter will not force it. God does not force us to do anything against our will. Sometimes our biggest problem with God is our lack of understanding. We do not see the forest through the trees. We get so lost in the laws and does and don'ts we lose sight of who God is and what God is doing. Moreover, in our case, what God has done. Some get lost in God's grace while others get lost in God's judgement. The result ends up in a disfigured relationship. There is not wrong with agreeing with the Potter that we need to remake the vessel, our relationship. It does not mean everything we have learned is wrong, but maybe working at it a little more could help. Being willing to double check our ideas, spend time in prayer, daily read the Bible and be in conversation with God. I cannot believe how many people who claim Christianity have never read the Bible all the way through, or have not done so for many years. Our minds have ways of twisting memories one way or another. There are plenty of plans to read the Bible in a year or two. Use one. You do not have to wait till January to start. God knows you accept the truth about Jesus Christ, so you do not need to worry about judgement while you study (2 Timothy 1:12). Don't go out of your way to sin, but don't get lost in the laws and guilt that hinders growth (2 Corinthians 3:6). Enjoy being with God. It is not unpleasant, especially when God is trying to teach you something (Matthew 11:29). God is trying to keep you from damaging or destroying your life (Proverbs 8:36, Romans 6:23).
Pray with me ..., Holy God we are thankful that You work and rework our lives. You renew our spirits and bring us to new heights and for that, we are thankful. Hear our prayers for our loved ones and our church. We ask you blessing upon them, in Jesus' name, Amen
God’s Peace,
Pastor Brian
