Romans 9:19-24 “Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”
Have you ever made something with your own hands? If so, there was probably a particular purpose and design that you had in mind. Others might have looked at it and wondered why it was made a certain way. Perhaps they just did not understand what your purpose was.
Regardless, one thing is sure. Nothing you have ever made has ever questioned you about the way it was formed. It has never argued with you about the design or questioned your purpose. Even if you eventually tore it down to remake it into something better, your work never complained to you.
We often have a difficult time seeing ourselves as God sees us. We are His workmanship. He has shaped these vessels of clay as He has seen fit. If we honor Him as the true and living God, we cannot argue against His design and purpose.
He has the power to make a vessel unto honor and a vessel unto dishonor from the same lump of clay. In this, we see the daily struggle we face to give God glory. In our individual lumps of clay exits both vessels, formed from the same lump.
Our carnal nature is still our carnal nature. It is a vessel fitted to destruction. God has shown much longsuffering toward the portion that is fitted to destruction. He has done so because He is willing to show His wrath (displeasure) to us when we lean to our own understanding. In this He also makes His power known.
In this same lump, there exists the spiritual man that God has made. He plainly shows His power against our carnal nature. He just as clearly shows the great riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy. He has made us vessels who have both received mercy and are capable of showing mercy.
The beauty of being God’s workmanship is that He has purposed (prepared) us for His glory. God’s grace alone makes us able to overcome the carnal man and live a life of glory in and to Him. This is a result of His calling in our lives. It does not matter where we started out or what our lineage might be.
May we honor the Potter and rejoice in His power and love!