Posted:
Based on “The Urge to Purge” by Pastor Dave Folkerts; 7/18-19/09,
Message #DF141; Daily Devotional #1 - “Broken & Beautiful”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): We are all familiar with the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. In common terms, this means if something is working, just let it keep working until it breaks or no longer works. At this point a new item is usually acquired to replace the broken, useless one, which is trashed and marked for no good. From beautiful to broken it goes.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): The great prophet Jeremiah had quite a task to accomplish. God appointed him to announce that a new covenant would replace the old one. His audience was a rebellious nation that opposed every message Jeremiah spoke. He faced fierce roadblocks and great personal despair, yet despite the rejection from these people, Jeremiah pressed on in obedient faith. He compassionately urged these people to turn from their sins and begin to follow God. For decades, the nation abandoned God and was nearing complete destruction. We all walk around with sin-stained lives that we either attempt to cover up with more sin or just ignore entirely. And while sin may have its thrills, it comes with a price that is greater than any one of us can afford. Whether we bathe in sin or watch from afar the brand stamped on us cannot be removed by our own doing. From the dust of the ground we were formed (Genesis 2:7) into clay pots that God wants to mold and shape into His image during our lifetime here on earth. Some wander away from God’s hand, shaping themselves according to their own standards. And as the world turns, the wheel of life spins and shapes us into whatever images we surround ourselves with; every trial we encounter adds another layer to our pot. God sent Jeremiah to watch this process firsthand: So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. (Jeremiah 18:3-5). We are all imperfect people, marred and defeated by sin. One touch from God is all it takes to transform us into a new creation with a brand new purpose. When we allow God to take control of the wheel, He creates something beautiful out of our brokenness.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): By the world’s standards, Jeremiah failed miserably on his assignment; yet even though he faced great opposition, he never left the Potter’s wheel. Jeremiah believed in God’s faithfulness with his whole heart. When our foundation crumbles, and we find ourselves in ruins, our uselessness turns into God’s usefulness. Our clay pot, molded by the skillful hands of the Potter, will be a vessel of life. If you are ready, God is ready. He says to everyone: "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18). In an instant, our sin-branded lives are transformed by the very same covenant Jeremiah was urging the people to accept. All God wants from His children is for them to seek Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mark 12:30). What the world discards as trash, God restores as treasure, and from broken to beautiful we become.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 29:11-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17
