Isaiah 29
The Potter and the Clay!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, January 22.
Do you believe there is a God? Even the evil ones know that (James 2:19); the essential ingredient of a saving faith is to have a belief that surrenders oneself to God and His will for your life – “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Three times Isaiah used the imagery of the potter and the clay to illustrate the stubborn refusal of God’s people to submit themselves to God’s will. The first time is found in Isaiah 29:15-16:
Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? (cf. 45:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 18:1-6)
Isaiah warned the people of their self-sufficiency, their striving to make life work for them apart from God. Lovingly, God was using the prophets to call His children back to trusting Him in midst of their horrible circumstances. To emphasize our fundamental need to trust in the sovereignty of God, Paul pulled from this rich and meaningful imagery of Isaiah in Romans 9:20b-21, “The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” The essential ingredient to a saving faith is to trust God and His purposes for your life; that’s belief!
Seize the moment and believe God for His design for your life – “be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21; cf. Ephesians 2:10).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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