“God told Jeremiah, “Up on your feet! Go to the potter’s house. When you get there, I’ll tell you what I have to say.” So I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.” Jeremiah 18:1-4 MSG
I am thankful that the Jesus I know does not give up on the plans He was for me. Being an artist myself I love the feel of the paint on my hands. I think about the messiness of my life and that He is not afraid to get His hands messy and pursue me, if only I would let Him…
Am I living in a way that is vulnerable enough before God and others to soften my heart into a repentant spirit? Than I can be free to live out God’s call on my life everyday? And He can change me and mold me into the person He wants me to be?
In a bible study that I am doing on Nehemiah, the author Kelly Minter writes about confession. “I’ve been confused about the word confession over the years, or at least I’ve gotten it jumbled up with brow-beating myself or repeating how sorry I am. First consider the Hebrew word for confession, which is yada. It means, “to express praise, give thanks, extol, make a public confession, make an admission. Confession isn’t confined to expressing sins. We can also confess God’s name, our faith, or a truth. When we confess, we are simply agreeing with God or telling the truth about a matter. Sometimes our confession will be about our sin, other times it will be about God’s goodness, majesty, faithfulness, compassion.” This was an eye opener for me, because I never saw it as a lifestyle until now…
“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ-that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life-even though invisible to spectators-is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too – the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. And that means killing off everything connected with that death….That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God.”Col 3:1-6 MSG
Dear Jesus, Thank you that your mercies are new every morning. I praise you for who You are. Amen
Amy(amyctanner)
Sixty-six books in a year 