“…O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, ‘Why has Thou made me thus?'” Romans 9:20
Dear Ones:
Ever since the fall of man, and his spiritual experience became what the hymn writer called, “…nature’s night,” his concept of himself and God became twisted and contorted. The void that was created in the heart of man, which once God filled, became the residence mostly of that which was not true, sometimes dominated by the enemy of our souls himself. It would be only by the intervention of the Sovereign Savior of us all, that light would shine into the dark dungeon of the heart, shattering the chains of deceit, and calling forth the sinner to come out, and upward, to the light, the light of Life. In such a true spiritual, and Biblical scenario, is found one of the great paradoxes of creation, that of man being “dust,” and like “grass,” whose life is like a vapor, a flower of the field, and yet, he is elevated by God to become a child of God, seated IN Christ in the heavenlies. How can it be, that something so small, and sinful, can be not only become a “form” of godliness, but be indwelt by the Spirit of the living God, being conformed to the image of Christ? The answer lies in the heart of God, who chose before the foundation of the world, to put a value, or worth, on the soul of a man, that even for an individual sinner, the Son of God would die on a cross to take away man’s sin. In doing so, and by virtue of the new birth, God would fulfill in man that for which he was created, to be complete, perfect, righteous, …resembling His Son in the greatest possible manner. The whole of this paradox of man being so small and sinful, and then elevated to indescribable heights of blessing, can only be explained by the incomprehensible love of God, a love that is uniquely His, revealed to us for His glory and honor.
What then is the problem with man, that hinders him from becoming what the Potter designed, and determined him to be? In the case of the rich, young ruler (Luke 18:18-27), who came to Christ seeking eternal life, he turned and walked away from Christ, not receiving LIFE from Christ, because he valued temporal riches more than life eternal. His darkened heart had deceived him into believing that the creation was of greater worth than the Creator, and in this case, the Redeemer. In the case of the Samaritan woman (John 4:5-31), to whom Jesus offered “living water,” she also could not receive it until an idea, or truth, was embraced. This idea had to do with her concept of security and satisfaction. Again, like the rich young ruler, she sought that which was of this creation to respond to the need of her heart, rather than that which only the Creator could meet. In both cases, the light of the truth as it is Christ began to shine in their darkened hearts. They were both faced with the choice of whether or not to embrace it.
The story is told of an evangelist, whose name was Gypsy Smith. A young boy was brought by his mother to hear “the Gypsy,” and at the end of the meeting, she wanted her boy to shake the Gypsy’s hand. The young boy, when in front of the Gypsy, refused to do so, and this several times. After several reprimands by his mother, he finally broke down, only to stretch out his hand, with closed and upturned fist. He then opened his hand to reveal a piece of money his mother had given him to put in the offering plate. The point is that the little boy could NOT put his hand in the Gypsy’s hand, because he was holding on to something else, valuing it far more.
Dear Father, give us to understand what we truly are by creation, by the fall, and also, by redemption. Certainly you have called us to trust You fully, and forever, for You are the Potter, and we are the clay. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad