“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” (Jer. 18:6)

WHILE MINISTERING IN BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, I visited the Mzilikazi Arts and Crafts Centre. It is comprised of two main sections, a store and an art training school. Each plays a complementary role to the other in that the school offers training in creating pottery, which is then sold at the store.

What caught my attention when I first entered the school was the area where students were sitting at potter wheels. Nothing is more interesting than watching a skillful potter mold clay upon the wheel, shaping it into a vessel.

What especially amazes me is the great variety of vessels that can be made: from ones that will eventually adorn the tables of the rich to those that will be used in the homes of the poor; from those that are ornamental to others created for practical use.

If we are willing to be clay in the Great Potter’s hands, He is able to make us into the type of vessel He wants us to be. How we will be used will vary, and we may differ in form and beauty. However, if we are willing to be clay in His hands, God will fashion us so that we will be made into vessels for His glory and be of benefit to those around us.

Allow God to shape you into the vessel He intends you to be.

Jim “Umf” Lo is the coauthor of Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul (WPH).

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