IN THE POTTER'S HANDS (38 OF 52)
Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-5, Jeremiah 18:7-10
This content is part of a series.
In the Potter's Hands (38 of 52)
Series: Discipleship Part Two
Christopher B. Harbin
Jeremiah 18:1-10
We like to be in charge of our lives. We even have a national mythos telling us we can do and become whatever we set our minds and ambitions to accomplish or be. We tell ourselves and our children anyone can grow up to be president, knowing full well that less than 25 people will become president over a lifetime. We tell ourselves anyone can work hard, pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become a millionaire. It is more complicated than that, but we repeat the mantra, anyway.
Decades ago, my mother had me memorize ''Invictus,'' a poem by William Henley which closes with, ''I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul.'' We want that to be the case. We want to assure ourselves we are the ones who determine how life turns out for us. Then life happens, and the myth falls apart. Then the gospel comes along and interferes with the myth again. It tells us instead, that we are servants of God, and our highest calling is to submit the whole of our lives to God's will, rather than our own. How can we be masters of our own fate and yet surrender our lives as servants of God Most High?
That was the essential message God gave Jeremiah down at the potter's house. God responds to us and the quality of our actions. Our actions do not, however, place us in control of God. Rather, God has the authority to do what God wills with us. That is a major aspect of being the people of Yahweh. If we honor God as God, Lord, and Master, we must bow our wills in submission to God's direction and purposes. If we determine to do otherwise, we are not accepting our position in relation to God. On the other hand, as we render our lives to God in submission, we must accept God's will and purposes for our lives as supreme in all things.
Israel wanted to be the central power in the world. They wanted to take the place of Egypt as the centerpiece in the world's po ...
Series: Discipleship Part Two
Christopher B. Harbin
Jeremiah 18:1-10
We like to be in charge of our lives. We even have a national mythos telling us we can do and become whatever we set our minds and ambitions to accomplish or be. We tell ourselves and our children anyone can grow up to be president, knowing full well that less than 25 people will become president over a lifetime. We tell ourselves anyone can work hard, pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become a millionaire. It is more complicated than that, but we repeat the mantra, anyway.
Decades ago, my mother had me memorize ''Invictus,'' a poem by William Henley which closes with, ''I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul.'' We want that to be the case. We want to assure ourselves we are the ones who determine how life turns out for us. Then life happens, and the myth falls apart. Then the gospel comes along and interferes with the myth again. It tells us instead, that we are servants of God, and our highest calling is to submit the whole of our lives to God's will, rather than our own. How can we be masters of our own fate and yet surrender our lives as servants of God Most High?
That was the essential message God gave Jeremiah down at the potter's house. God responds to us and the quality of our actions. Our actions do not, however, place us in control of God. Rather, God has the authority to do what God wills with us. That is a major aspect of being the people of Yahweh. If we honor God as God, Lord, and Master, we must bow our wills in submission to God's direction and purposes. If we determine to do otherwise, we are not accepting our position in relation to God. On the other hand, as we render our lives to God in submission, we must accept God's will and purposes for our lives as supreme in all things.
Israel wanted to be the central power in the world. They wanted to take the place of Egypt as the centerpiece in the world's po ...
There are 7737 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
