“Remember now, that You have made me as clay; And would You turn me into dust again?” (Job 10:9)

The clay and it’s purpose belongs to the potter

The story of Job’s life is a demonstration of how a man of God should correctly deal with great loss and pain. Job suffered on multiple levels: he lost his children, lost his possessions, was stricken with devastating health issues, and was criticized and badly advised by his wife and friends, yet he remained faithful to God. Job had a firm understanding that he was formed by the hands of God as a potter forms clay, that he belonged to Him, and that he must honor Him no matter what.

“Behold, I belong to God like you;

I too have been formed out of the clay.” (Job 33:6)

Job’s response was remarkable because he started by worshipping God and never sinned or blamed God. And at the end of the narrative, Job not only receives a restored health but more possessions and a beautiful family, than that from which he’d begun in his former years (Job 42:12-17). Job had a positive outcome because he understood that God was his maker and that he belonged to God.

We are the clay, God is the potter

 “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” (Isa. 64:7)

“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.” (Jer. 18-3-4)

Therefore

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:13)

“But who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” (Rom. 9:20-21)

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10 ESV)

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 ESV)

Failure is a part of the fallen “sin” condition

Failure happens to everyone from time to time, and there are great examples of it in the Bible, starting with the failure of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And that sin has continued to affect everyone in all future generations. There was David’s sin with Bathsheba. And Peter sinned in his denial of Christ, three times, even though he proclaimed passionately that he never would. The Apostle Paul described sin’s effects on him with these words: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Rom. 7:19-20 ESV)

Yes, we all do fail from time to time, but we must not allow sin to dominate us!

Each time you fail, get back up!

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” (Prov. 24:16 ESV)

Confess and forsake your sins

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Prov. 28:13 ESV)

Therefore

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1 9 ESV)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:8-10 ESV)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (1 Cor. 5:17 ESV)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 ESV)

The most powerful word

The word “free” quickly catches the eye and produces the best results in advertising. Why is that so? It’s because everyone loves getting something for free. The funny thing, however, is that nothing is actually free; it costs somebody something. Someone at the store had to pay for the free widget they are giving away. We live in a country where we enjoy freedom, but that’s not free either—someone had to fight and pay for it.

Free through Jesus

The verse at top uses the word free two times. But notice that it says “if the Son sets you free” which lets you know who paid for that freedom. The cost was purchased by what Jesus did on the cross!

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13.38 ESV)

 Therefore

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13 ESV)

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38)

What Did Jesus mean?

When Jesus made the loud proclamation above saying that anyone who is thirsty should come to Him and drink, people didn’t understand what He meant. The passage went on to explain:

“By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:39 NIV)

People are still thirsty and confused today!

The word “thirst” means different things. One of the definitions says it simply means to have a craving for something. It could be for water, food, or even other things such as wealth, power, or fame. A lot of people have a thirst but don’t know what they really want, and they go from thing to thing trying to discern what it is. Jesus, in his statement above, pointed out that the answer to their thirst is Him! He is the only one who can satisfy their thirst!

Therefore

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6 ESV)

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!” (Isa. 55:1 NLT)

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6 NIV)

Be a finisher!

One of the most important things I was taught growing up is the importance of finishing things. If I started something, I must finish it, that was the rule. And my dad said any job wasn’t finished until the related mess was cleaned up and the tools were put away. Those have been excellent rules that I have tried to follow all my life, and I have tried to teach the same principles to my children because it is an important habit to develop at home and anywhere you work. Nobody likes to clean up after you!

Jesus always completed what He started

Jesus finished what He came to do, even though it was incredibly difficult, causing Him to sweat great drops of blood, suffer greatly, and die on the cross. It was necessary to redeem us, and He didn’t quit! After He completed what He was sent to do on the cross, He cried, “It is finished,” and then he died. He had successfully and totally completed the job God had sent Him to do! (John 3:16). 

He will complete what He started in you, too!

The verse at the top says that the good work God has begun in you “will be brought to completion on the day of Jesus Christ.” That’s a wonderful promise! I heard someone say, “Please be patient with me; God isn’t finished with me yet.” I think he was thinking of this promise.

Therefore

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4.13 ESV)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Heb. 12:1 ESV)

“So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.” (2 Cor. 8:11 ESV)

“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. (Eph. 6:1-4)

Obey and honor your parents

When my children were little, and when the situation warranted it, I would remind them that the Bible says, “Children, obey your parents because it is the right thing to do.” And this always seemed to work pretty well most of the time until my oldest son, Matthew, who had apparently started reading the Bible for himself, answered back one day with, “Yes, it does say that, Dad, but if you read a little further, it also says, ‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger.’ And dad, you are provoking me.”

After he said that, I told him that if he would continue to read even a bit further, the Bible also says to “bring them up with discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” And that meant I was commanded by the Lord to use discipline and instruction to bring him up properly. I also told him that that command also had a promise attached to it: that if he honored his father, things would go well for him and he would live a long time; but if he didn’t, it would be just the opposite for him.

I smile when I remember some of our old conversations from so many years ago, especially now that he’s an adult himself, and has grown children of his own. I enjoy overhearing him say the same things to them on occasion.

Some verses about love and obedience

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV)

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3 ESV)

 Therefore

“Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” (John 14:23 ESV)

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” (Prov. 16:9 NLT)

 God, who is the creator of everyone, has the ability to direct everyone, whether they are aware of His directing them or not. For example, in the Old Testament, we read about Cyrus, who was God’s servant, even though he didn’t know God and wasn’t aware that God knew him (Isa. 45:4). God also directed the people all around Cyrus to accomplish many things He wanted done.

God still directs people today!

When you pray about things, you never know who He may be putting in your path as help. So, be alert!

Those interesting encounters

There are many instances in my life where people “just happened” to be in the exact place at exactly the right time they needed to be to help me dramatically. Such as when I met Jean Dawkins at a bar in Alaska when I had stopped there on my way to commit suicide. He talked me out of it, gave me the help I needed, and he brought me with his family to Washington State, where I eventually met Christ. Looking back over the situation, I had encountered several people who affected my direction that day. If any one of them hadn’t been in their exact place, I would have never gotten to where I needed to be in order to get me to where I am now. Looking back, I can clearly see that God’s hand was at work in so many people’s lives back then, even though I’m sure none of them knew it. The fact is, God connects people together in order to perform His purposes. Years later, I found out that a Sunday school teacher of mine, Mrs. Willa McGrew, had been praying for me every day for years! I had only attended her church a few times because the church’s Sunday school bus had come through my neighborhood and invited the children. I’m sure her fervent prayers for me had moved God to arrange for so many things to be in place for me. (James 5:16)

God has put some people in your life to assist you in fulfilling your destiny. Even if they don’t know you well, or maybe not at all, they might introduce you to someone or make a good impression on someone you need to connect with. They might have knowledge or guidance that will help you advance in life.  

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them.” (Isa. 42:16)

God organizes divine appointments

The folks who show up for divine appointments are frequently unexpected. In actuality, they often appear in unexpected places—a woman in the grocery store, an intern at work, or someone who might seem to have less clout. But God is able to inspire everyone.

Everyone can be a connection that God uses

We ought to always be willing to accept help from others. Every person we come into contact with deserves to be treated with respect, honor, and dignity. You can never predict who God will use in your life. Therefore, be welcoming, friendly, and loving so that He can use you to open doors for His heavenly appointments.

Therefore

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 ESV)

“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” (Prov. 22:4 ESV)

As a businessman working within the automotive industry for nearly 40 years, I had the privilege of attending many industry conferences and listening to just about every kind of motivational speaker give me all kinds of steps to follow to achieve the next level of success. There are all the normal tried and proven methods, of course, such as starting with a good plan, working hard, copying what other successful business people do, being honest, serving customers well, and building mentoring relationships, just to name a few—all good things, I might add. But I’ve never heard a speaker say the following: “Humility is a key step towards success.”

Humility flies in the face of human nature

Most people are self-centered and led one way or another by a strong sense of pride, which is a strong driving force that they use to get things done. However, pride does have a dark side, and it can get you into trouble if it is your driving force rather than God.

Pride is the opposite of humility and will lead you downward

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” (Prov. 11:2 ESV)

Jesus said about humility

“When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! 

Jesus said to humble yourself

“Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:7-11 ESV)

Jesus set the example

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:12-17)

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matt. 20:16)

Therefore

“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5 ESV)

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” (Col. 3:12 ESV)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8 ESV)

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14 ESV)

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10 ESV)

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

We used to have to wait for everything!

When I was a kid, we did not have many of the modern conveniences we enjoy today. We washed our clothes in an old ringer washing machine with two rinse tubs. The wet clothes would have to be fed through the ringer and into the tubs, then back through the ringer and hung out on the lines to dry. It was before permanent press (wrinkle-free technology), so our clothes had to be ironed before we wore them—laundry day was very laborious and time consuming. Most of what we ate was also not convenient. There was no such thing as fast food—everything was made from scratch and took time to prepare. We didn’t have microwave ovens, ice makers, food processors, instant coffee makers, or quick foods like one-minute-rice. Our phones were attached to the wall and the line was shared by a number of families—we all had to wait our turn. And we were all used to waiting for things.  

Things are different now!

 All our convenience appliances do everything fast, often completely by themselves. We have instant entertainment, food delivery, drive-through restaurants, real-time communication, overnight shipping, and the Library of Congress via the internet at our fingertips—it’s all instant gratification. In today’s world, we hardly have to wait long for anything.

We want God to work fast, too!

God does things in His perfect timing but that may appear slow to us. But, He is to be patiently waited for with faith!

“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Hab. 2:3 ESV)

Therefore

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” (Psalms 37:7-8)

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5 ESV)