Jars of Clay
Are you feeling discouraged today? Has your world shattered and left you with no hope for your marriage?
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He handcrafted the clay baby cup with her name on it. It was beautifully glazed and I hardly wanted to let her use it. But he said, “Please use it, that’s why I made it.” And so we did. She loved her own cup with her own name on it!
Today the cup sits in her cupboard in her own kitchen. It is still beautifully glazed with her name on it. But the lines on it show where it was carefully glued back together. A clay pot is oh so sturdy yet oh so fragile!!
God calls us clay pots. And true to the name most of us sport cracks, carefully glued back together. We are oh so sturdy, yet oh so fragile. Why would God entrust clay pots with the light of His love? We try to fulfill His purposes but we get cracked and broken.
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Yet His strategy is clear… He knows our weaknesses yet He chose clay pots anyway. He tells us why…
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Don’t be ashamed of the cracks in your life… don’t be afraid to show how God has mended you. This is the testimony to the watching world. Our God fixes broken pieces!
If you are broken today because of circumstances in your life, or because of choices you wish you had made differently, don’t stay in pieces on the floor. If you know you have disappointed God in your walk or in your talk tell Him you are sorry.
God will forgive you, pick you up and mend you. Changed lives, lives lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrate that it is His power at work in us. This is our hope…this is the hope we hold out to a needy world.
Father God, Thank you that You use cracked pots to demonstrate Your love and power. Forgive me today for the guilt trips and the pity parties and help me to tap into the power that changes lives. Thank you that You put Your Spirit in me so that Your amazing power can be visible! Shine through my cracks today, Lord so that others can see who You are. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Questions: Do you need to change your thinking and accept the cracks in your life as the very places Jesus can shine through? Invite Him into those places today.
About the Author Gail Rodgers
Daily audio podcast: Hear today’s devotional, Jars of Clay, read aloud today on the Men’s Devotional Blog
The very thought that we are cracked pots is an assurance that God is our Mendor and we do not need any other!
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i know that i am a cracked pot and need His help
Gail, thank you. I do need to change my thinking in that although I know that the Lord is with me each minute of each hour of each day, it’s a devotion such as today’s that reminds me I can’t go it alone. in this morning’s studies I was directed to Romans 15:13 which said, ”Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” and thank you ladies for today’s comments. May God bless and enrich your lives today.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness! We have freedom to let go of the past mistakes and forgive ourselves! Jesus picks us up and he forgives us but we have to accept his forgiveness and than we have to forget our shortcomings and move on! Too often we get stuck in things and don’t move on in our walk with Jesus when Jesus wants us to release our past mistakes to him!
1 Corinthian !5:57 Thanks be to Jesus for he always leads us in truimphant victory!
Jesus erases our shortcoming! and the ledger is wiped clean! Paid in full! That is what happens we seek forgivenss! Let yourself off the hook!
Shirley, thank you for your prayer. Thank you is not enuf for how your love shown thru you prayer has touched and blessed me. ONLY God can see us thru the numerous battles that are being fought around us right now. Thank you.
Andi
Thank you Gail for such a wonderful and timely
devotional. During the time we face right now,
there are many that are having difficulties. Some are feeling like a failure, feeling defeate,
and some are dealing with depression. This is
a great time of opportunity for the believers to
give witness to the Lord. We as believers have
past and presence experiences that God has
brought us through and out of. Our testimony
shared with somebody who is in need, can bring hope and give them encouragement. We
as believers also do go through and are facing
the same problems in this nations that others
are. Thanks be unto God who causes us to tri-
umph in Christ Jesus always. We know that
we have hope, and we know who that hope is.
Jesus Christ is our lively hope, we don,t have
to get in fear. We as believers know that God
is our source, and our good shepherd and he
shall supply all our needs. Gail it is good to be
reminded that we are cracked clay pots and is
very valuable to God. Thank God that he can
and will use cracked clay pots. We have the
entire bible as God’s testimony that he calls, he approves, he chooses, he appoints and he
anoints us crack clay vessels. Andi I just touch
and agree with you in prayer that God himself
will bless Andy with the job that God has chosen for him. I decree according to my faith
that your household will go lacking in nothing
and every need shall be met. I also pray that
whatever God purpose God allow this for this
his will be done and through it all he alone will
get the glory, Amen! Sisters in the Lord may
God blessings be rich and forever abounding in
your lives and in your family lives. Have a great
day in the Lord. What a good day to praise and rejoice in the Lord!
Cracked pots! What a good reminder that even though we are cracked pots, God’s love still shines through us as we reach out to others. Thanks for this awesome devotional Gail!
Gail I too would like to thank you for today’s devotional as it is me right now. I had written a lot more but just deleted it but I truly desire to be used of God and I do pray that He will shine through all my cracks and help me not to feel defeated by myself or others. Hugs, Linda!!!
God is amazing; as many of you know Andy lost his job and we are a one family income. We’ve been struggling w/a sense of hopelessness and fear given these tuff times.
Last Sunday Andy gave communion at church. Much to my amazement he kept quoting from Peter’s life. Unknown to him I had picked up a book from the library on Hope, based on Peter’s 2 books. He later told me he’d awakened in the middle of the night and felt God direct him to ponder upon Peter.
As Andy shared in church that morning many were deeply impacted including the Pastor. So you see these tuff times are causing many of us to be put thru the Refiner’s Fire.
HE asks us to keep our focus stayed upon HIM during the tuff times and to allow HIM to comfort us [better than any shepherd would for his sheep].
I hope this helps others to refocus and begin to feel hope welling up w/in their sould and spirits.
Andi
This was a wonderful devotional. Thank you Gail. I really needed to be reminded that even though I fail every day at being “perfect” God still wants to use me to reach out to others. And on top of that, He still loves me! Thank You, Father. You are so awesome! Amen.