Bible Studies

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The Scriptures
Jeremiah 18:1-11 - In His Hands
Key Verses: (NCV)

• 2: "Go down to the potter's house, and I will give you my message there." - God, speaking to Jeremiah, provides a setting and a backdrop for His next message and parable.
  
  
• 4: "He was using his hands to make a pot from clay, but something went wrong with it. So he used that clay to make another pot the way he wanted it to be." - In the hands of the potter, the clay would be continually molded until it maintained the shape it was destined to be.
  
  
• 6: "'Family of Israel, can't I do the same thing with you?' says the LORD. 'You are in my hands like the clay in the potter's hands.'" - "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.'" (Genesis 1:26)
  
  
• 7: "There may come a time when I will speak about a nation or a kingdom that I will pull up by its roots or that I will pull down to destroy it." - The formation of this nation, as in the hands of the potter, may require a time when it is destroyed by God in order to begin anew, creating the beautiful pot it was destined to be.
  
  
• 8: "But if the people of that nation stop dong the evil they have done, I will change my mind and not carry out my plans to bring disaster to them." - God is forming His people for a destiny of glory and once they choose to follow His way and set aside their sinful tendencies, then He can more easily mold them without having to destroy what had been started.
  
  
• 11b: "This is what the Lord says; 'I am preparing disaster for you and making plans against you. So stop doing evil. Change your ways and do what is right.'" - The choice is ours.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you being molded by God? Do you feel His loving hands shaping your thoughts and creating in you a new life? Is your relationship with Christ opening new possibilities and promises? Can you see evidence of His transforming love in your life? Or are you continuing along the same pathway of sin and evil that you have always followed? Do you pray for God to mold you into the disciple He wants you to be?
  
  
• Is God actively involved in your life? Or do you feel He sits quietly to the side and simply watches your progress? If He is involved, in what ways do you feel His presence? Is He always encouraging, loving, and forgiving? Is He encouraged by your progress and faithfulness? What do you think He does when you go astray? What are His thoughts when you slip or falter? Does He grow impatient or, perhaps, provide you with new lessons or challenges? Could every step you take be, yet, another spin on the potter's wheel towards a life of holiness and sanctification?
  
  
• Does God give up? Is there ever a time where God is ready to discard your clay because it has become too hard and brittle? If you constantly choose to ignore His gentle urgings and loving guidance, what should He do? With the Israelites He threatened disaster. If you refuse to "stop doing evil" or "change your ways and do what is right" what should God do with you? What steps should He take to get your attention? Do you want Him to give up or do you want Him to find ways to continue molding you into His image?
  
  
• Why is a life of holiness so important to God? Why do you think God goes to so much effort to bring you into His kingdom? Are you worth the effort? God thinks so. His love for you is beyond your wildest imagination. Can you accept His love and allow Him to work the miracles in your life that He has in store? Can you give your entire life into His loving hands in order to be molded into the beautiful vase that He knows you can become? Will you allow Him to fix your brokenness and reshape your flaws and imperfections?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

The imagery of God as a potter creates both a sense of wonder and a sense of worry in our hearts. Intellectually we accept that we have been created by God in His own image. And yet, accepting that His creative process may continue throughout our lives becomes a little disconcerting. We want to be in control of our own destiny. We want to feel that we have choices to make and that the outcome of our lives is of our own doing. But God is involved. He has an invested interest in who we become and what we do. As we relinquish control and begin to lean heavily into His loving hands, we suddenly become aware of His kingdom and the glory that He has in mind. It may strike fear in our self-made hearts but the promise that lies in store out weighs any loss of control we think we might have.

FUMC Devotionals

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