The Good News Page

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Verse:     

"I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded."   Isaiah 45:12

 

Thought:      

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."   Isaiah 64:8

 

Devotional      

"The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.  Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.  Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord.  Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hands, O house of Israel"  Jeremiah 18:1-6

I have never seen a potter at work.  I have, however, admired his handiwork.  I am told that a potter works on his creations until he refines them exactly the way he wants them.  If he makes a vessel and it comes out defective, he does not throw the clay away.  He simply takes that clump of clay and starts all over again.  Only when he sees that there are no imperfections in his work is he satisfied and says, "It is finished."

In Jeremiah chapter 18, we are told that God commanded Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house and observe the potter and wait for word from the Lord.  So Jeremiah, went down to the potter's house and observed the potter at work.  Jeremiah observed how the vessel that the potter made was defective and how the potter decided to make a new vessel out of it.  He waited to hear from God.  The Lord spoke to Jeremiah and told him that the house of Israel was in His hands just as the clay was in the potter's hands.

My friend, you and I, the Bible says, were made out of clay.  From dust to dust and from ashes to ashes.  Upon our death our body will return to the ground from where it came.  The Bible tells us also, that God, our Maker, is our Potter.  Therefore, He has the right to work on us until He is satisfied with His creation.  If you are a child of God, let Him do His work on you.  Have you tried to do your own thing and failed?  Well, God is still working on you.  If a piece of clay could interfere and keep the potter from doing his job, the clay would never turn into a beautiful vessel.  The potter must have complete control over the clay.

We, many times, fail God and turn our backs on Him.  We fail to obey His Word, we fail to follow His commands, and we fail to trust Him as we should.  We become backsliders.  However, God never forgets us and He continues to work on us.  One of these days, He will call us home to Glory.  He will give us a perfect body and then we will be able to say that the Potter has made a beautiful and perfect vessel out of an imperfect piece of clay.

If you are not a child of God, you are still His creation, a piece of clay in His hands.  He is working on you and trying to make you see that He loves you and wants to see you in heaven with Him.  Let Him have His way with you.  Allow Him to mold you into a beautiful and perfect vessel.  Just say, "Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way.  Thou art the Potter,  I am the clay.  Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still."

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God's Plan of Salvation      

The Bible says that for a person to be saved from their sins and the wrath of God, he or she must be born again.  This new birth comes from above and is a result of the Holy Spirit bringing conviction to our hearts.  Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him:  and I will raise him up at the last day."  Jesus also said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."  John 6

You must acknowledge the fact that you are a sinner.  The Bible states that all have sinned.  You must confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you.  You must believe that Jesus died in your place at the cross of Calvary.  When you repent of your sins and confess them to God, He forgives you and gives you a new life.  This is the New Birth that the Bible talks about.  It is the only way to Heaven and to God.

Today, if you realize that you are a sinner, if you believe that Jesus took your place and paid for your sins, and if you confess them to God and ask Him to save you and give you a new life, He will do it.  He will forgive ALL your sins (past, present, and future) and make you a new creature.  Do you want to trust Christ as your Savior now?  Just talk to God (pray) in your own words and tell God what you want Him to do for you.  By faith, take God at His word.  God cannot lie.  Whatever He says, He will do.  Place your faith and trust in Christ.  He will never fail you.