Are You Moldable?

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’ve been swamped at work and busy every night. I was reading a familiar passage last night in Jeremiah 18 about how God is the potter and we are the clay. I just stopped and reflected on it a while. Am I being “moldable” right now? Am I letting God shape me and mold me in his image? It made me think about a message I heard Mark Matlock give during the PlanetWisdom Youth Conference a few years back. I dug up the book from the conference this morning before work and looked at his main points. It was pretty cool during the conference because he actually had a potter’s wheel and turned some pottery during the conference as he was explaining it. This could be an awesome series to do in church sometime. Unfortunately, all I know about turning pottery I learned from Patrick Swazye.

Here is Mark’s outline of the steps involved in making a good pot. Of course he had a ton of info to go along with the outline.

  1. Centering – the clay must be centered on the wheel so that it will spin symmetrically. Spiritual Application: Are we centered in our lives around God’s Will? Do we allow God to move us to the center of His will?
  2. Opening – the clay must be opened from just a blob of clay in order to start forming a hole. Spiritual Application: Are we open to God’s will and ready to be crafted and shaped.
  3. Pulling – After the clay is opened, the wall thickness must be reduced and the walls pulled up higher. Spiritual Application: Are we allowing God to stretch us and grow us.
  4. Trimming – As the shaping takes place, the pot often goes off-center and must be corrected and trimmed. As clay is removed the pot loses some of its potential size and shape. Spiritual Application: As we go off-center in life, God will correct us and discipline us in order to re-center our lives on His will. We lose some of our potential usefulness each time this happens.
  5. Shaping – This is where the pot becomes both useful and beautiful. The potter decides whether he will make a bowl, a cup, a pitcher, a jar, or something else. Spiritual Application: God wants to shape us and use us in a way that is a reflection of His character and glory.
  6. Glazing – After the pot dries, glazes can be added to the surface to prepare it for a beautiful finish during the firing process. Spiritual Application: God knows that certain situations we face in life will produce beautiful results later in our lives.
  7. Supporting Clay – Extra clay is needed at the bottom to support it and keep it from collapsing while it dries. Spiritual Application: God places others in our lives to support us. That is why the church is so important in the life of a believer.
  8. Firing – After the pot has dried, it is ready to be put into the fire. Only the potter is familiar enough with the pot to know if it is ready and can withstand the fire. Spiritual Application: Scripture reminds us that our deeds in life will be tested by fire to judge our own inner integrity.

How moldable are you in your life right now? At what point in the list do you find yourself?

Mike

I am a former design engineer who now pastors Cornerstone Community Church in Galax, Virginia. I'm passionate about following Jesus and I love technology. I've been married to Jennifer for 28 years, and we have three adult children.

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