LESSONS FROM MUD: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 27TH SEPTEMBER 2018

MEMORISE:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

READ: Jeremiah 18:1-6

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

MESSAGE:

It is amazing that something as precious as humanity could come out from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). However, this could only happen because God worked on it. What a great lesson this is to the wise! Any person who allows God to work on him or her will become a vessel unto honor in God’s hands. The Holy Spirit confirms this truth in 2 Timothy 2:21, saying:

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”

Unfortunately, observing the history of mankind has taught us that the mud of the earth often seems to be wiser than majority of the people who ever lived. Why? When the Almighty God wanted to make something precious from the dust, it did not protest against God’s work. In contrast to this, what do we see in mankind? We see stiff resistance whenever God wants to glorify Himself through them. For this reason, many people do not fulfill their destinies on earth.

The Lord took Jeremiah to a potter’s house where the potter was working on a lump of clay. In the process, the clay was marred in the potter’s hands and he made it into another vessel that he liked, according to his pleasure. Not once did the clay protest the potter’s intentions. In Jeremiah 18:6, the Lord then asked this question:

“O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

Although man was made out of dust he was glorified after the Lord God had worked on him. Along the line however, he became marred through the machinations of the devil. To the glory of God, the Great Potter is working on us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Beloved, have you been worked upon by the Lord? Are you even allowing God to work on you? If not, today is the day of salvation. You must surrender your life to God through Christ and confess your sins to Him for forgiveness. Isaiah prayed a pray on behalf of the nation of Israel, which should also be our prayer today. In Isaiah 64:8-9, he said:

“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.”

Learn from the clay in today’s story. If you can pray this prayer today, the Lord will work on your marred life, business, family, job or studies and cause great restoration to take place in them.

ACTION POINT:

Pray the prayer in Isaiah 64:8-9, applying it to appropriate areas of your life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Isaiah 10-12, Mark 14:10-31

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4:  TRUST AND OBEY.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.