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Jeremiah 18 (ESV)
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.
REFLECTION:
This passage implies that God has absolute sovereignty over the Judahites, as well as absolute sovereignty over our personal lives. God can mould Judah at will, just like a potter working with clay. He continues to mould them, hoping to make them useful vessels. However, the Judahites must be humble and repent, otherwise this clay will harden and become an unsuitable vessel that will be broken. In the same way, God has the right to cultivate and temper our lives, so that we can become people after His own heart. We should not respond to God’s moulding in a passive manner, but should accept His work on us willingly, obey all His arrangements, and become a valuable vessel that suits His wishes. Today, we live in a society that advocates individualism that insists on one’s own opinions, independence, and separation from authority. We should be wary not to let the values of the world infiltrate our relationship with God as it will make us stubborn, arrogant, unwilling to listen to teachings, and unwilling to reform. Otherwise, as our character develops, we will gradually become enemies of God.
PRAYER:
Pray to God, ask Him to give you more godliness, and don’t forget that He is always with you in the turbulent flow of the world. Ask God to prevent you from being affected by the individualistic thoughts that flood the entire society today, so that you have a heart of reverence and obedience, not to be stubborn in everything but seeks the will of God and obeys all His arrangements.
HYMN:
Take My Life And Let It Be – youtu.be/kA9zA7O6bH0
