Changed!

A lump of clay . . .

Formless, gritty, ugly. Can it be used to make anything of value? Take it to the potter and see!

The first thing the potter does with clay is to remove all the impurities, washing it until every foreign particle is gone. Until the clay is clean, it is useless.

The next step is called wedging. Kneading, cutting, and slamming the clay against the table, the potter works it until the texture is even and all air pockets are gone. If bubbles remain in the clay, the pot will explode when it is fired.

Unyielding bits of clay must be worked out. These aren’t stones or bits of grit, but part of the clay itself that has to be softened. If these are left, they will show up in the final stage and ruin the pot’s appearance.

After the clay has been prepared for shaping, the potter places a mound of it on his wheel-exactly in the middle. Any shift from dead center will result in a lopsided vessel.

As the wheel turns, the potter applies constant pressure, dipping his hands in water and returning them to the clay, so that it is always kept moist and pliable.

When the pot is formed it must be fired in order to become durable. Under the extreme heat necessary to make the clay hard, some pieces may develop cracks or explode. But some come out of the kiln as useful, durable, things of beauty.

A lump of clay or a perfect vessel . . . what will it be?

An empty existence . . .

Unwanted habits, a stained past, ruined character. Can this life be reclaimed? Take it to God and see!

The first thing God does with a life that is brought to Him is to remove the sin. He cleans the heart through the power in His shed Blood. Until that is done, He can’t use it.

Then, through circumstances, God molds the life offered to Him. He permits difficulties because He desires to shape that one into a useful individual. He wants to work out the imperfections of character.

Rejection of these pressures is like the hard pieces of clay that the potter constantly watches for. If a person resists the influences that God allows to come his way, he will hinder what God is trying to make of his life.

God wants each person to be in the center of His will. If that one tries to do things his own way, his life will not fulfill the purpose for which he was created.

Each life must be kept pliable in the hands of God. This is done by regularly communicating with God and applying the lessons that He teaches.

Every Christian will face times in life that are filled with difficulties, hard places, even tragic circumstances. The “fire” of these circumstances is meant to refine his nature, and help him achieve permanence in his Christian character.

An empty existence or a new life in Christ . . . the choice is yours!