10.11.7 "Formed or Crushed?"

"Formed or Crushed?"

Jeremiah 16:16-18:23
I Thessalonians 4:1-5:2a
Psalm 81:1-16
Proverbs 25:6-7

There was a small window in my life where I thought I might be good at art. I think it was a period of about 2 days in 7th grade. Our assignment was to make a little head and face out of clay. The first day of the project was great! I was seeing my creation take form. But what happened the 2nd day "reshaped" my desires. One of the "punks" in my class thought my project belonged to a friend of his, and he smashed the side of it. I couldn't really do much in the few minutes before the grading began, so it was a bad grade, and i never really found the motivation again.

Jeremiah 18:1-4 says, "The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "go down to the potter's shop and I will speak to you there. so i did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over." Verse 6 says, "As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand."

The phrase that really sticks out to me today is, "But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped..." God is the potter we are the clay. Are we turning out as he hoped?

The main difference between us and my little clay project is that the primary issue as to whether or not we turn out according to the Artist's design is whether or not we allow Him to shape us. When we are pliable in his hands, we become who he intends for us to be. When we decide we don't want his "shape", he has no option but to crush us and start again.

I Thess. 4:1,2 says, "... You already know how to please God in your daily living, for you know the commands we gave you from the Lord Jesus himself. Now we beg you - yes, we demand of you in the name of the Lord Jesus that you live more and more closely to that ideal."

The acrostic "DREAM" is not a magic formula for Christianity. It is simply a reminder of the foundational principles necessary to "please God in your daily living." We are pliable in the Potter's Hands when we put into practice what the Lord is revealing to us!

I remember some powerful times the Lord has spoken to my heart. I have been given clear direction. It's not enough to have been given direction. There's no "merit badge" for that. What we are held to account for is our obedience. This is the essence of the Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship.

Here's what the Psalmist has to say about it: "But no, my people won't listen. Israel doesn't want me around. so I am letting them go their blind and stubborn way, living according to their own desires. But oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly then I would subdue her enemies! How soon my hands would be upon her foes!" Ps. 81:11-14

Paul jumps into "Relationships Devoted to Unity" in verse 9. "But concerning the pure brotherly love that there should be among God's people, I don't need to say very much, I'm sure! For God himself is teaching you to love one another." Well, Paul "shouldn't" need to say very much, but I think there are some brotherly love issues that need to be put into practice. We need to "... live more and more closely to that ideal." This REALLY needs to be a priority of the Church. Too many of our actions are motivated by offense, rights and opinions instead of brotherly love.

Reading this portion of scripture is in itself "Empowered Through Biblical Training", but Paul refers to living by the "rules" in verse 8. "If anyone refuses to live by these rules he is not disobeying the rules of men but of God who gives his Holy Spirit to you." You may think because this refers to obedience, it's a "D" thing, but the essence of "E" is discipline in the context of aligning to God's Word. I'm reminded of the song lyrics, "This is my daily bread: your very Word spoken to me." We need the empowerment of the Spirit found through the discipline of the Word.

Active Ministry Involvement is referred to in verse 11 & 12. "This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and doing your own work, just as we told you before.... and you will not need to depend on others for enough money to pay your bills." The principle of Responsibility needs to be applied to the work before us. Paul says that applying this principle will result in God's provision.

Also, at the beginning of verse 12 Paul says the fruit of living the "A" is the "M". "As a result, people who are not Christians will trust and respect you." Our Mission to Reach our World for Christ should not only be a focused action, it should be the fruit of everything we do.

As we "live more and more closely to that ideal", as I Thes. 4:2 says, we place ourselves in the center of the Potter's wheel. We need to put into practice the things we know are right.

Where are you at right now? Are you being formed, or do you find yourself in a season of crushing? As difficult as it is, the crushing is not a bad thing. It's a sign that the Potter has not given up.

I'm thankful that the Lord is a much better artist than I am. He doesn't give up like I did, When someone bashes in the side of his project, He just crushes it down and begins again to form it into all he "desires it to be".





Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ