Crack Pots

                                       
                              

Growing up I remember that there was a phrase used to refer to someone who did a foolish or silly thing.  It was sometimes used in jest and sometimes to ridicule; “you’re a crack pot”.  Though I’ve not heard it much recently my generation and older may remember this phrase and perhaps even still use it on occasion.  Truth be known we are all cracked pots.

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the works of your hand.”    -Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)

Yet how many of us have been guilty of living as if we are the Potter having designed our own lives.

“You turn things upside down!  Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me’, or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’.”     -Isaiah 29:17 (ESV)

Truth be known God has designed all of us for a purpose.  By striving to take control of our own lives we wind up damaging what God has created and become “cracked pots”.  But there is hope.

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” ³ So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴ And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. ⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁶ “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”  –Jeremiah 18:1-6 (ESV)

Praise God our damaged souls can be “reworked” into something better.  It is impossible for man to soften the clay and rework it once its been hardened by the fire.  When damaged it is only good to be destroyed and discarded.  God, on the other hand, can soften the soul again through the His Word and the Holy Spirit that it can be fashioned after His design.   We can be “reworked”.  In fact, God is in the business of reworking or renewing us in His image again.  

So if you feel like damaged goods maybe today is the day you can return to your Potter so He can reshape and remake you into something useful in His Kingdom.  Let go and put yourself in His hands.
                               

AN AUDIENCE OF ONE!

"Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!  Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!"   -Psalms 96:7-9 (ESV)

What is "worship"?   The term comes from a very old English term which actually means "that to which one ascribes worth".  Whatever one considers the most valuable is what one worships.  Unlike the pagans of Bible times who made statue idols out of wood, stone or clay modern man strives to relish in his creativity.  We tend to fashion idols out of more trendy ideas or materialistic possessions.  Some highly value profit, power, popularity, pleasure or any combination of these.  Truth be known, we are all probably guilty of ascribing the highest value to more than one item.  Going back to our definition of worship above that would make us guilty of polytheism (worship of multiple gods).  

The Lord God who created heaven and earth is a jealous God.   It is no accident that the first two of the famous ten commandments show where God stands when it comes to our worship.  As Christians we need to understand that our worship, and all that entails, is for an audience of one.  Our praise, thanksgiving, the songs we sing and how we sing them are not done to impress other people but to show the Lord our true heart of gratitude and awe for who He is and what He has done for us. 

So, what is it that you ascribe the most worth to?   What do you truly treasure above all?  In this world we are bombarded to juggle many priorities and in the midst of doing so our priorities may be out of alignment. A questions all must consider is "What is the meaning of life?"  Your answer lies where your investment of time, energy and resources may be.  I contend that if God is not in the equation then you have discounted the value of life itself.  Worldliness inherently means a investment in the temporal things that will fade away and be remembered no more.  When you truly ascribe the honor and glory due to the Lord, and worship an audience of one, you will find life.  This was your original design and will bring more meaning, purpose and fulfillment.  

Eternal will always out value temporal. Worship is a matter of the heart.  So the questions is, "Where is your heart"?