“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!’”
February 27, 2024
Imagine a forest fire sweeping through an area that comes across a stump primed for burning. The fire comes sweeping along and the stump has rosin and pine tar on it, so it burns brightly. And then it goes out. Then, maybe the underbrush grows up again in three or four years and another fire comes along, burning furiously. When it gets to that stump, it may ignite it again, but it doesn’t burn nearly as brightly, not nearly as long, and the fire goes out. There may come a time in later years when the fire roars and comes through, but when it comes to that blackened and charred stump, it doesn’t even glow. The fire jumps right over. That happens in congregations too.
I have been preaching when the power of God’s Spirit would move across the congregation like a fire and souls would come forward weeping, saying, “I want to give my heart to Jesus Christ.” But some will sit there untouched. They don’t feel a thing. The fire of God’s Spirit never moves on them. They have eyes but they don’t see. They have ears but they don’t hear. I want to beg of you: While the clay is soft and pliable, come to Him, even if you’ve messed up, and He will receive you.
Pray and ask God to fill you with His Spirit and a passion to know Him more.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”