A Piece of Clay
"Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was formed from a piece of clay." Job 33:6 RSV
God formed Adam from the dust of the earth; clay. The beauty of God's work did not lie in the clay, but rather in the formation of that clay. Envision Adam as a beautiful porcelain pot - highly decorated, glazed and functional - ready to be filled with God's oil (Holy Spirit). Filled, the vessel is now ready for use.
Unfortunately, Satan makes his appearance. He shatters the porcelain pot into many pieces, and God's oil spills out onto the ground; then disappears.
Jesus comes, and by his death and resurrection he gathers the pieces of the broken pot and glues them back together. The pot has been made whole, but is still cracked. It cannot hold a full measure of God's oil without leakage. When the pot is filled with God's oil, the leaking causes fluctuations - rising and falling accordingly.
Patiently, Jesus mends the cracks, one by one. Clay is applied to a crack and a glaze is set over this repair. The pot is then fired in the furnace to strengthen the repair, and then the pot is filled again to detect any further leakage. This process is repeated until the pot can once again hold the full measure of God's oil. Now the oil can be lit as a beacon to the rest of the world.
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ..." Revelations 1:12 RSV
We are only clay, made whole, but still cracked by God's plan of salvation. To become fully functioning lampstands, we must - through prayer and Bible study - be repaired one crack at a time. The world is waiting for the light.
God formed Adam from the dust of the earth; clay. The beauty of God's work did not lie in the clay, but rather in the formation of that clay. Envision Adam as a beautiful porcelain pot - highly decorated, glazed and functional - ready to be filled with God's oil (Holy Spirit). Filled, the vessel is now ready for use.
Unfortunately, Satan makes his appearance. He shatters the porcelain pot into many pieces, and God's oil spills out onto the ground; then disappears.
Jesus comes, and by his death and resurrection he gathers the pieces of the broken pot and glues them back together. The pot has been made whole, but is still cracked. It cannot hold a full measure of God's oil without leakage. When the pot is filled with God's oil, the leaking causes fluctuations - rising and falling accordingly.
Patiently, Jesus mends the cracks, one by one. Clay is applied to a crack and a glaze is set over this repair. The pot is then fired in the furnace to strengthen the repair, and then the pot is filled again to detect any further leakage. This process is repeated until the pot can once again hold the full measure of God's oil. Now the oil can be lit as a beacon to the rest of the world.
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ..." Revelations 1:12 RSV
We are only clay, made whole, but still cracked by God's plan of salvation. To become fully functioning lampstands, we must - through prayer and Bible study - be repaired one crack at a time. The world is waiting for the light.
posted by Hepzibah The Watchman | 9:14 AM
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