Part 1
Intro
It’s been almost six thousand biblical years since God created everything and the first man, Adam, in the book of Genesis. God gave His only begotten son, Jesus, to deliver humanity from sin and death. Jesus was crucified and resurrected over two thousand years ago. Precisely 2022 A.D.— A.D. means "After Death" of Christ—since this book was written. However, in an attempt to erase Christ from everything, modern tares changed it to mean before and after the "Common Era.” The calendar reminds us of God and how long ago Christ was crucified. The entire universe points to Christ, not the "Common Era."
Believers in Him have been waiting for His return for over two thousand years. Many feel His second coming is imminent given the increase of evil worldwide and many tribulations. However, God says:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14 KJV.
As we await Jesus' second coming, the state of the world today seems lost. The world sees humanity as being the cancer of the earth, overpopulated, and destructive to all living things.
In our raw, natural state, life appears hopeless and worthless. Day in and day out, people curse themselves and their nation by giving in to the negativity and propaganda in the news. There are hundreds of prophecies of America's destruction and the "end of the world" in videos, movies, and books. Hollywood puts out nearly all of the world's destruction propaganda, so much so that people expect it to happen. But they believe that some superhero will save them and not Christ. Unbelievers never consider Christ alone as their savior and a way to everlasting life; they instead believe in fictional superheroes or earthly men to save the world.
Jesus saith unto Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. John 14:6 KJV.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 KJV.
The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:4 MEV.
So, why does God say He has a plan and a future for us in light of our daily troubles and trials?
Because God sees us differently, we are a work in progress and a quarried state of existence.
God, The Potter Who Transforms Us
God forms us as a potter forms his clay. He refines us in our natural sinful state to transform our hearts and souls to be more like Him.
A quarry site is an open-pit mine where all sorts of dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, sand, gravel, or slate are excavated from the ground. It is where raw elements pass through refined processes and bring out the best use to suit varying purposes.
Once refined in a quarry site, the natural element is best transformed after rough processes. Similarly, we are being refined daily with the processes of life as in the quarry to bring out the best in us.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29-11 KJV.
God is going to give us an expected end, not of evil. We need to trust God when we are being molded and transformed into the likeness of Christ here on earth.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 KJV.
In the book of Jeremiah, God directed His prophet, Jeremiah, to go to the potter's house and give him a message. When he got there, he saw the potter working at the wheel, shaping clay in his hands.
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. Jeremiah, 18:4 KJV.
The clay formed by the potter's hands was to illustrate God's message to Israel. God said,
'Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.' Jeremiah, 18:6-10 NIV.
The potter's house represents the quarry—a place of molding, shaping, discovering, restructuring, and fine-tuning raw clay into beautiful objects.
God wants us, as individuals, to be meek and stay humble, even during difficult times. We do not transform ourselves, but God is our potter who shapes and refines us to become a fine vessel in the end. As God is our potter, He can do whatever He likes with us.
Does the potter not have power over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Romans 9:21 MEV.
In a large house, there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some are for honor, and some for dishonor. One who cleanses himself from these things will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, fit for the Master’s use, and prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 MEV.
Jesus Is The Perfect Vessel
Jesus is a finished vessel for His purpose, the one who made us and keeps us in His marred hands. Jesus was crucified with His hands and feet pierced with nails. After He was resurrected, He went to His disciples and said:
'Look at My hands. Look at My feet. You can see that it's really Me. Touch Me and make sure that I am not a ghost because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do.' As He spoke, He showed them His hands and His feet. Luke 24:39–40 NIV.
As He spoke, He showed them the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! John 20:20 NIV.
As proof to Thomas, who doubted that He was alive:
Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!' John 20:27 NIV.
Jesus is with us always to shape us to be like Him.
I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:20 KJV.
God sends us to Himself, i.e., "potter's house," so we too can be shaped and transformed for His purpose. We are continually being refined and processed into God's image through His Word in the Bible.
So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. Genesis 1:27 KJV.
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Psalms 12:6 KJV.
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48-10 KJV.
We live in a fallen world, knowing good and evil thanks to Adam and Eve. They disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, but God didn't destroy Adam and Eve immediately. Instead, He paved the way out of sin and death through Jesus Christ in His mercy. God allowed the history of humanity to develop and gave us free will to choose, just like He had given to Adam and Eve. He knows our limits and understanding because He is the potter who shapes us as His clay.
You are not alone. Whatever you may face in your life, God will be there to direct it. Eventually, you will become refined like gold and diamonds, a purified vessel of the Lord.
This story isn't over yet. Our journey continues in part 2, so stay tuned!
Or Buy me coffee