Day: May 9, 2021

The Master Potter

Jeremiah himself becomes an
object lesson to his nation, for
his very life models the reality
of what is soon to befall Judah.
The prophet is commanded to
remain celibate & avoid feast days
– a reminder to his countrymen
that they will soon experience
involuntarily what Jeremiah is
called to experience voluntarily.
For loss of comfort and joy await
God’s rebellious people. But then
God’s discipline is still redemptive.

Lord, Have Thine Own Way:
I found the potter working at his
wheel. But the jar he was making
did not turn out as he had hoped,
So he crushed it into a lump of
clay again and started over. 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 hand,
so are you in my hand (Jer 18:3-6).

O Lord and Sovereign God, we
acknowledge Your will is good.
Like a potter at the wheel You shape
us to the people You want us to be.
You Lord want to reshape us into
a beautiful creation, when we allow
ourselves to become mis-shapen
by the acts of our own self will.
O Holy Spirit help us to be soft
and receptive to Your hand on us.
As we yield to You God to shape us,
we ask for mercy and grace. Amen.

Lord, like clay in the potter’s hand,
we are imperfect but You can mold
us into something beautiful & useful.
Draw us, guide us and teach us Lord
to live all of our lives thro Your eyes.
We may be pressured; but You say:
Fear not, for I am with you. I will help
you, strengthen you and uphold you.
So, take us, mould us, fill us, lead us
and walk beside us as we give our
lives to You master potter. Amen.

Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and made me after Thy will
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only always living in me! Amen

Be Ambassadors for Christ

Backgrounder: Paul opens his
second epistle to the Corinthians
the same way he began his first
one by establishing his authority
and documenting the source of
his revelation. He then praises
God for what He has done for
Timothy and him. In contrast to
the old covenant which condemned
the glorious new covenant sealed
in Jesus’ own blood, makes
God’s ministers bold & effective
in calling people to repentance.

Lord, thanks for Paul’s 2nd letter
to Corinthians which explains the
nature of Christian ministry and
teaches how we should handle it.
Help us to be blameless, sincere,
confident, caring, open & willing
to suffer for the sake of Christ.
Help us to Minister to Others;
Help us to Focus on Eternal &
Help us to be Yr Ambassadors.
In Jesus Precious Name, Amen.

Lord, You’ll Enable us to Minister:
You are an epistle of Christ…
written by the Spirit of God…
Such confidence we have through
Christ. Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think of anything
as being from ourselves but our
sufficiency is fr God (2Cor 3:3-5).
Lord, I realise the areas which
I feel inadequate or struggle,
draw me to You. And that I am
able to accomplish what You ask
of me only through Your power.
Thank you for your Word for in it
I learn that You are my adequacy
and my sufficiency. May my
confidence always be in You
through Christ Jesus; and then
You will receive all praise. Amen.

Lord, we will Focus on Eternal:
Our present troubles are quite
small and won’t last very long.
Yet they produce for us an
immeasurably great glory that will
last forever! So we don’t look at
the troubles we can see right now;
rather we look forward to what
we have not yet seen. For the
troubles we see will soon be over;
but the joys to come will
last forever (2 Cor 4:17-18).
Lord, focus my eyes clearly
on the eternal, for that will
put my present troubles into
a proper perspective. Help me
to see You as You are, to perceive
You with my spirit & not just with
my mind. And help me to realise
that U are in me & I am in U. Amen

Lord, we will be Your Ambassadors:
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed
away; all things have become new..
God was reconciling the world
to himself in Christ, not counting
people’s sins against them.
And He has committed to us
the message of reconciliation.
So we are Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his
appeal thro us (2C5:17-20).
Lord, Thank you that through
Christ you forgive sins and bring
sinners back into relationship
with yourself. Thank U for drawing
me to yourself and saving me.
Lord, You have given the gospel
to me so that I might share it.
I’m sorry Lord for the times I’ve
been tight-lipped about my faith.
Make me bolder & more engaging
to those who don’t know U. Amen.