Jeremiah 18:11-12
Shall we begin with
verses 11 and 12, “Now, therefore, say to the men of
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising
a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways
and your deeds.’
“But they
say, That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act
according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.”
Verses 11-12 answer
the question ask in Romans 9:20-22, about the clay or the created response to
the Potter or the Creator. “But who are you,
O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have
you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of
the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What
if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured
with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? .
Only when the clay
foolishly believes it is wiser than the Potter will this happen, and my dear
brothers and sister in Christ, the clay has been doing this since the fall of
man, since sin entered the world through Adam. Not a new thing but a very
dangerous thing both for this world and the everlasting, or eternal one.
In my Nation, the
United States of America, we have just had an election for the President; the
last mere man who held that office has 40 days left and was a tool of the evil
one. The new mere man tells us he is going to make America great again,
but did our greatness come from jobs and a powerful military or the Potter, the
Creator, our mighty God, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and Jacob?
A history lesson is
always in order the United States of America began not with a mighty army, but
faith in a powerful God. Our Lord had placed into the heart of a group of
men to live as free men, not from God but the control of England. But we
like these foolish people of Judah have said; “We will
follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of
his evil heart.”
Our nation will not
become great without God’s favor, but greatness will begin in your heart and
mine when we place the King of Glory on the throne of our hearts. In
Psalm 51:1-4 is a great place to begin: “Have mercy
on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant
mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and
my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and
done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and
blameless in your judgment.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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