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ALWAYS PLIABLE
I was reading in Jeremiah 18 about the Lord’s instruction to the Prophet to
go to the potter’s house and observe his work. As he watched the potter work,
the word of the Lord came to him and reminded him that the power of forming and
shaping Israel is in the Lord’s hand just as the clay is at the mercy of the
potter. This little scenario caused me to think about the possibilities that lie
in a lump of clay. (We are like a lump of clay.) In the hands of the potter,
that clay, as long as it is pliable, can be shaped and fashioned into a useful
vessel. However, if it becomes hardened it’s practical usefulness is ended. This caused me to think about how important it is for us to always be
surrendered to the purposes of the Lord and to remain pliable in His hands.
Unlike earthly clay, we never have to succumb to the use-less-ness of hardness
as long as we stay meek and obedient. The unique characteristic of our life is
that we are always being shaped and formed to serve the purposes of Jesus in any
and every situation. We are not formed once and then set aside until that particular vessel is
needed. We are in a constant state of being formed and reformed so as to always
be available for any need of the Master. Our usefulness ends when we allow sin, hatred, malice, strife, an unforgiving
heart and a host of other flaws to damage our pliability. If we do not repent
and allow the Lord to rid our heart of such things we will become hardened and
brittle and of no use in Kingdom living. A yielded vessel never becomes hardened, even if put through the fire,
because the hand of the Master miraculously tempers the flame and preserves the
vessel. Don’t allow your life to become a lump of hardened clay by succumbing to the
temptations of the flesh. Live in the power of the Spirit and you will always be
a useful vessel in the Lord’s hand, suitable for any purpose He chooses. I pray the Lord blesses you today. Warmly, in His love and life, Roland Scroggins © 2007
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Since I have entered the senior/semi/retirement phase of my life, I thought some of my readers may want to help defray the cost of publishing the Minute Messages. If so, I say a heartfelt "Thank You". You may use the Paypal button to donate any amount or you can mail your donation to me at:Roland Scroggins - PO Box 830804 - Ocala, FL 34483-0804.