Jeremiah 18:11 ~ Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
The Word of God preceding this verse are those of the clay on the Potter’s wheel. (see Jer. 18:1-6) I love that story! As an artist I love the creation process of a piece of art. It breaks my heart though when I invest a good amount of time into a project and then goof it up. From that point forward my heart has left the project and my “*mango” personality has already started envisioning my next project.
That is not God’s way.
When God puts a piece of clay on the Potter’s wheel he begins shaping it and pulling away the unnecessary portions of clay and sculpting it into a one of a kind art piece ready to be fired in the kiln. If an abnormality appears in the vessel, He removes it and begins again to form that piece of art. Goodness gracious how many time has God had to reshape me into that abstract form and begin turning me again into the vessel you see today. Which quite frankly is always one step from having to be returned to that wheel and begun again.
But in verse 11, God is passed the Potter’s wheel. I think Israel has gotten on His last nerve again and He says to them “I frame evil against you.” Perhaps it’s the Potter’s shed. When you frame up a building it means you’re putting down roots, you plan on staying a while. It was a final warning from God saying, (to Shari quote it) “I’ve laid the framework to box you in. If you continue to stay on this path, it will not end well and you’ll be there a while. But if you choose to turn back I’ll stop the construction.”
Every day I see evil, but every day I see good. I believe it is “that goodness” (and only in the sense of spiritual goodness) that God has not finished the Potter’s shed. He sees our work. He sees a remnant of believers that are willing to stay on the wheel and conform for Him. But… if things continue going in the direction they’re going; if Americans continue to keep their mouths shut while our government makes a mockery out of the constitution and the men and women who have died for it, I fear construction on the shed will begin again soon.
I am an optimist, I am a visionary. I want to see the good and I believe in my heart that our nation could turn back. But as a child of God I have to be real. I have write what is on my heart this morning and it is the same warning that Jeremiah gave the children of Israel is due to us. Hop on the Potter’s wheel this morning and shout “I’m here Lord! Mold me.”
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? When I speak of my *Mango personality it refers to a seminar that I do to help churches and businesses work more cohesively as a team. If everyone were optimist and there were no pessimist, there would not be balance. So, how about it? Are you lookin’ for the good, or focused on the evil? Either way, hop on the wheel!
