Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Woodrow Kroll
With Water
Even though the Apostle Paul is addressing marriage, he compares the Word of God to water, having a cleansing property to it (Eph 5:26), and it does! The Word of God has the power to shape us and change us, and most of all, to save us (Rom 1:16; 1st Cor 1:18). It acts to sanctify us, just as Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them through Your Word” (John 17:17), so the Potter remakes us by the use of His Word, the Bible.
With Pressure
A clay vessel that has no pressure applied to it will forever remain a blob of clay. It wouldn’t be of any use to anyone that way, but a clay vessel that’s had pressure applied to it so it can be shaped and formed into something useful, is something people (and God) can use, however it takes outside pressure to shape the vessel, so that’s how God might use the trial you’re in right now to shape you, forming you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s painful but gainful. The question is this; will the clay yield to the Potter’s hands?
With Heat
After a clay vessel begins to take shape and is in the desired form that the potter wants, then heat is applied to it. When the heat’s turned up, the true nature of the vessel shows up. It will either crack and leak under the pressure, or it’ll take the heat, and remain unfazed, but what the heat intended as harm to the vessel, God used it to shape us for good (Gen 50:20).
With Christ
If we, as clay vessels, are being conformed into the image of Christ, we are remaining soft (humble) and pliable (teachable), and not resisting God, but when the clay gets full of itself, it is resisting the Potter (James 4:6), and more pressure might have to be applied, and as we know, that might not be fun. Yield to God’s Spirit and you’ll let Him do more sculpting on you into the image of Christ.
Conclusion
The Holy Spirit is working in us through the Word of God, through life’s experiences, through trials and turmoil, but with the goal of becoming more like Christ. To become more Christ-like, it takes the power of God’s Word and the power of God’s Spirit, so the God that made us can also remake us.
