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Jeremiah 18:4 - God Is The Potter; We Are The Clay.

Jeremiah 18:4 (NIV) 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.  

INTRODUCTION

As the potter molded or shaped a clay pot on 
the potter's wheel, defects often appeared. The 
potter had power over the clay, to permit the 
defects to remain or to reshape the pot. Likewise, 
God had power to reshape the nation to conform 
to his purposes. Our strategy should not be to 
become mindless and passive - one aspect of clay - 
but to be willing and receptive to God's impact 
on us. As we yield to God, he begins reshaping 
us into valuable vessels. [Life Application 
SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Taking a pottery class is on my 
retirement list of fun things to do, so when my 
daughter enrolled in a pottery class where she lived, 
I was jealous in the best way. We were both 
excited, until the first evening. 
   The clay was difficult to mold. She added 
water and worked it with her hands, but by the end 
of class, she'd produced only one 
unsatisfactory piece compared to several lovely pieces each 
of the other students had created. She accepted 
the instructor's offer to come to the studio on 
Saturday to practice. 
   That's when the instructor discovered the 
problem. "This is bad clay," he said and gave her a 
new bag. When she placed a ball on the wheel and 
began spinning, the clay was pliable and obedient. 
She texted me a picture of her first successful 
piece - a ceramic bowl. 
   Although I wasn't in the class, I learned 
clay can be bad. I thought clay was clay, and if 
a project didn't turn out, the potter's skill 
was to blame. My daughter's instructor tossed 
aside that rebellious lump that failed her. 
   I'm so thankful the Master doesn't give 
up on bad clay! Sometimes I refuse to be 
shaped, or I try to take on a form of my own. But 
Jesus doesn't throw me away. He patiently 
continues shaping me, smoothing my cracks, refusing to 
give up on His work in progress, molding me as He 
sees best. Karen Sargent 
   Faith Step: How pliable are you in 
Jesus's hands? Think of one way, He is molding you 
now and surrender to His gentle direction. 
[Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and 
Zondervan] 

COMMENTARY

   When a potter bakes a pot, he checks its 
solidity by pulling it out of the oven and thumping 
it. If it sings, its ready. If it 
thuds, its placed back in the oven. 
   The character of a person is also checked 
by thumping. Been thumped lately? 
   Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. 
Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. 
Youve-got-to-be-kidding deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are 
those irritating inconveniences that trigger the 
worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat-footed. 
They arent big enough to be crises, but if you 
get enough of them, watch out! Traffic jams. 
Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the 
floor. Even as I write this, Im being thumped. 
Because of interruptions, it has taken me almost two 
hours to write these two paragraphs. Thump. Thump. 
Thump. 
   How do I respond? Do I sing? Or do I thud?
   Jesus said that out of the nature of the 
heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45). Theres nothing 
like a good thump to reveal the nature of a 
heart. The true character of a person is seen not 
in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed 
humdrum of day-to-day living. 
   If you have a tendency to thud more than 
you sing, take heart. 
   The true character of a person is seen 
not in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed 
humdrum of day-to day living. 
   There is hope for us thudders:
   1. Begin by thanking God for thumps. I 
dont mean a half-hearted thank-you. I mean a 
rejoicing, jumping-for-joy thank-you from the bottom of 
your heart (James 1:2). Chances are that God is 
doing the thumping. And hes doing it for your 
own good. So every thump is a reminder that God 
is molding you (Heb. 12:5"8). 
   2. Learn from each thump. Face up to the 
fact that you are not thump-proof. You are 
going to be tested from now on. You might as well 
learn from the thumps - you cant avoid them. 
Look upon each inconvenience as an opportunity to 
develop patience and persistence. Each thump will 
help you or hurt you, depending on how you use 
it. 
   3. Be aware of thump-slump times. 
Know your pressure periods. For me Mondays are 
infamous for causing thump-slumps. Fridays can be 
just as bad. For all of us, there are times 
during the week when we can anticipate an unusual 
amount of thumping. The best way to handle 
thump-slump times? Head on. Bolster yourself with extra 
prayer, and dont give up. 
   Remember, no thump is disastrous. All 
thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying 
God. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at 
maxlucado.com] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

The potter takes the clay and molds it 
according to his will.   Thus it becomes a vessel fit 
for use. So the great Master Worker desires to 
mold and fashion us. And as the clay is in the 
hands of the potter, so are we to be in His hands. 
We are not to try to do the work of the potter. 
Our part is to yield ourselves to be molded by 
the Master Worker. [MH 471, 472] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Jeremiah 18:6 - God Is The Potter; We Are 
The Clay. 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050627-1037.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/