I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. (Jeremiah 18:3-4)
I will never forget Dr. D James Kennedy saying, “God saved you then . . . is He saving you now?” I didn’t understand what he meant at the time. I was a new Christian and only understood “saving” to refer to that single point in time when we are, by grace through faith, raised from death to life. And while that is certainly true, there is another aspect to “saving” that took me years to learn: being saved from myself—not only daily, but moment by moment.
As the prophet Jeremiah tells us in today’s passage, we are vessels in the hands of the Potter, and we are being remade over and over again “as it seemed good to the potter to make.” Our daily salvation is a process of being shaped in the hands of our Savior. God in Christ is molding us into the perfect image of our Lord Jesus Christ. And since we won’t be perfected until we get to the other side, our clay will be continually marred throughout this life and in need of being remade.
If you are in Christ, God did indeed save you then. Now the question is this: is He saving you now? Are you being saved from yourself . . . your self-centeredness . . . your self-rule . . . your self-righteousness?
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Real clay in a potter’s hand feels nothing in the process of being made and remade over and over again. But redeemed “clay” in the hands of the Potter feels every aspect of being remade over and over again. And make no mistake, it hurts! Being saved from oneself is a painful process. The sinful self does not die easily, and it will not go without a fight. Paul made this clear in Romans 7, when he confessed that he did not do what he wanted to do, but he did do the things he hated. It is the same with you and me; the battle rages within every believer. But thanks be unto God, because He is committed to finishing what He started in us, regardless of the cost or circumstance.
What an odd God He would be if He started the process of conforming us into Christ, only to stop before it is finished! Remember, Christian, there will be no marred vessels in the new heavens and the new earth. God has promised to finish what He started and He will finish what He started in you. Let these words “so He made it again” both comfort and challenge you today:
- Comfort you because of the many failures God has remade you through
- Challenge you to praise the Potter daily through the painful process of being remade
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 