ISAIAH 64:8 – But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
THEME OF THE DAY. WHAT TYPE OF CLAY ARE WE? Soft and pliable or hard and unworkable? Those are the only two options in answering the question defining the theme of today’s nugget. And the choice is ours – daily. Moment-by-moment.
As we think on the Christian life, a good place to understand its daily unfolding is in the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the believers in Philippi. He writes, “ Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain (Philippians 2:12-16). Notice there are two “laborers” in the working out of our salvation – us and God. We may simplify these works as our responsibility to obey God’s commandment and God conforming us into the image of the One we are obeying – Himself in the image of the Lord Jesus.
However simple to define, not simple to implement. Oh, it is for the Lord. He is constantly at work. This is what He does and always well. The “not simple” part is us, but let’s remove something right away. The “not simple” part of working out our salvation is not in the commands we are to obey. The Apostle John tells us “God’s commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Our difficulty comes from the ever-present pull on our hearts to go easy on obedience, to cut corners and not do the close-in combat necessary to bring our hearts and wills to the place of consistent and sacrificial obedience. Should we not win this battle, guess what type of clay we become in the Hands of our Divine Potter? Hard and unworkable.
So, what is the lesson for today? Well, since “simple” is a repeated world in today’s nugget, here are two simple applications. First, without a life of consistent and progressive obedience, the work of God in making us like Jesus stops. Before any positive direction of His work in us is accomplished, we must be traveling the same direction. And should obedience be on the light side, or worse, we are tolerating disobedience in our lives, God’s work is not conformity but chastening and correcting. He must get us in line with His work and that requires we do our work – obeying.
The other application is simple submission. God’s work of conformity is painful. It has to be because we are so much not like Jesus. But it is “good” pain for it is purposeful pain. Submit to it by remembering the results of His work and not the suffering in the process.
Soft clay or hard clay. Be the former and thus progress in God’s work in us in harmony with our work – obeying His Word.
PRAYER: “Lord, please help me not to be hard-hearted and resistant to Your painful but necessary discipline in my life.”
QUOTE: “Don’t let our rebellious flesh make us ‘hard clay’ in the Divine Potter’s hands. It makes His work more painful.”