Morning Devotional

September  19, 2005
"The Potter's Shop" (Part 2)     
    by Don Emmitte

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The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again. Then the LORD gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. (Jeremiah 18:1-6 NLT).

This verse reminds me of countless others in the Scriptures where men obeyed the command of God. “Noah did just as the Lord commanded.” (Genesis 6:22) We can read similar verses about Moses, Abraham, Joseph and Mary, Paul and others. God is still looking for people like Jeremiah who will obey God and do what He commands.

Do you remember playing the game “Follow the Leader” as a child? It was such a simple game. There was really only one rule to be kept. Whatever the leader did, you simply repeated it as precisely as possible. That’s exactly what is necessary to hear from God. If you want to hear from God, you will have to do what God commands. You’ll have to “follow the leader” and let God’s path be your path. You’ll have to quit resisting and surrender to the will of God. God works through people who have given up their selfish motives and humbled themselves to God.

During his reign, King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in trouble. Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. He couldn’t disappoint his people, and to capitulate to the enemy was unthinkable. After careful reflection, he decided to ask the women of Prussia to bring their jewelry of gold and silver to be melted down for their country. For each ornament received, he determined to exchange a decoration of bronze or iron as a symbol of his gratitude. Each decoration would be inscribed, “I gave gold for iron, 1813. The response was overwhelming. Even more important, these women prized their gifts from the king more highly than their former jewelry. The reason, of course, is clear. The decorations were proof that they had sacrificed for their king. Indeed, it became unfashionable to wear jewelry, and thus was established the Order of the Iron Cross. Members wore no ornaments except a cross of iron for all to see. When Christians come to their King, they too exchange the flourishes of their former life for a cross.

If you are trying to hear from God on an issue in your life, examine your life to see if you are walking in obedience to God’s commands. If you aren’t sure, take this test. If God told you to do something that would cause you to give up your plans, would you obey? If He called you to give up something of great importance to you for His sake, would you obey? God speaks and works through people with this kind of heart.