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- Feb 9, 2004
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Heart of Stone, or a Heart of Clay - January 05, 2006
"And be not conformed to this world; but by the renewing of your mind, That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2
I was thinking, what would a heart of stone do if we each actually had a heart of stone? I mean, we would not have a heart that was functional; it instead would sit there and add weight to a body, doing nothing. Oh, and by the way, you would be doing nothing also. The heart, as we all know, is a vital part of the body. It circulates the life blood of the body (the church) keeping it alive and vibrant.
Now, imagine having a heart of clay. Clay is moldable, soft, and conducive to changing shape rapidly when manipulated by an outside force. In the case of the heart, that is electricity; in the case of the clay, it is the potter.
If we have a heart of stone, we are not listening to the voice of the potter. We are, instead, listening to the voice of "reason" and "logic". Reason and logic have a place in our lives, but not nearly as high up the ladder of importance as we sometimes make them. It is only when we have hearts of clay, moldable beyond out conventional thinking, stretching it into conformity with the potters will, that we can fully find ourselves "formed".
If we had our way with our hearts and minds, we would be cold stones, doing whatever we like because it is comfortable, because it seems "right" by us.
When the fire comes and things get hot, it would be easy to ball up and ride out the heat. The problem is, heat causes clay to turn to stone. However, if we are moldable and constantly in motion, we can ride out the heat and stay productive. When we allow ourselves to be molded, shaped and formed in the fire, we come out looking differently; looking like what the master potter intended. The end result of the fire is a former lump of clay, transformed into a usable vessel. Some vessels are to eat from; some vessels are for holding and pouring water. We are the vessels of the church; we are to pour ourselves out to our brothers and sisters.
My Challenge to you today, is to be the moldable vessel. Open your heart, clear your mind, and plug into the will and purpose of God. It may sometimes be comfortable because the fire will occasionally get hot. Remember that there is a master potter who knows just how much heat you can take, just how much stretching you can live with, and just how much resistance there will be. We serve the master potter.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11
uted by Carl Holmes
"And be not conformed to this world; but by the renewing of your mind, That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2
I was thinking, what would a heart of stone do if we each actually had a heart of stone? I mean, we would not have a heart that was functional; it instead would sit there and add weight to a body, doing nothing. Oh, and by the way, you would be doing nothing also. The heart, as we all know, is a vital part of the body. It circulates the life blood of the body (the church) keeping it alive and vibrant.
Now, imagine having a heart of clay. Clay is moldable, soft, and conducive to changing shape rapidly when manipulated by an outside force. In the case of the heart, that is electricity; in the case of the clay, it is the potter.
If we have a heart of stone, we are not listening to the voice of the potter. We are, instead, listening to the voice of "reason" and "logic". Reason and logic have a place in our lives, but not nearly as high up the ladder of importance as we sometimes make them. It is only when we have hearts of clay, moldable beyond out conventional thinking, stretching it into conformity with the potters will, that we can fully find ourselves "formed".
If we had our way with our hearts and minds, we would be cold stones, doing whatever we like because it is comfortable, because it seems "right" by us.
When the fire comes and things get hot, it would be easy to ball up and ride out the heat. The problem is, heat causes clay to turn to stone. However, if we are moldable and constantly in motion, we can ride out the heat and stay productive. When we allow ourselves to be molded, shaped and formed in the fire, we come out looking differently; looking like what the master potter intended. The end result of the fire is a former lump of clay, transformed into a usable vessel. Some vessels are to eat from; some vessels are for holding and pouring water. We are the vessels of the church; we are to pour ourselves out to our brothers and sisters.
My Challenge to you today, is to be the moldable vessel. Open your heart, clear your mind, and plug into the will and purpose of God. It may sometimes be comfortable because the fire will occasionally get hot. Remember that there is a master potter who knows just how much heat you can take, just how much stretching you can live with, and just how much resistance there will be. We serve the master potter.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11
uted by Carl Holmes
