Hands of The Potter
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Posted: February 25, 2023
Author: Leslie Wittenmyer Matthew 6:19-21, New King James Version “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” |
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There’s something more. You can feel it, but you are not sure exactly what it is or what it looks like. Somehow, the things that typically give you enjoyment all of a sudden just fall into a mundane routine. You don’t get the simple pleasures from it any longer. Your heart is calling for more. Your heart is crying out, “God, I want more! There has to be more! What it looks like I don’t know, but I know that it is more than enough, because You are more than enough! Fill me, God!”
There is an emptiness inside of us that needs to be filled. Could this be from “tasting and seeing that the Lord is good?” (Psalm 34:8) Maybe we feel torn between flesh and spirit. Maybe we try to fill it with the things of the world (flesh), but the things of this world are never enough. They only leave us longing for the next best thing and the next best thing and the next. There is never any satisfaction. There is never any contentment. We take each day at a time living for self, for no real purpose, and the days waste away. What do we have to show for it? We may have a big fancy home, or an expensive vehicle, or the best brand name everything to make us feel good, but what does that get us in the perspective of eternity? We need to live from a place of rest in God and not self. The Bible tells us “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, NKJV)
Where are our treasures stored? How is it preparing us for eternity? The Bible tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) If we taste and see that the Lord is good and we know that in His presence is fullness of joy, then what must we do to remain in His presence and continuous joy? The answer to this question is in the question itself. Are we spending time in the presence of the Lord? Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, and that good thing would not be taken from her. (Luke 10:42)
Just as a personal relationship with our loved ones develops a closeness and understanding of one another, so does a personal relationship with God. We long to be with the ones we love, to be in their presence and to know them, but what about the one who created us? What about the one whose love is perfect? Do we have that same longing for Him? Do we truly want to know the heart of God? Do we want to know what He hates and what He loves? Do we want to know the hope and future that He has for us? (Jeremiah 29:11) Do we truly want to obey His commands so that we can have that abundant life that the Bible talks about? We live in a time where we take and take and take, but we aren’t willing to give. We want others to sacrifice for us, but we ourselves aren’t willing to sacrifice. Society is reaching a point where good is called evil and evil is called good. Is this where we want to store our treasures? Is this how we want that God sized hole filled? Is this the “something more” we desire?
This is not God’s desire for us! There comes a time where we decide if we are for God or against Him. Do we want Him or not? There is no happy medium. Revelation 3:15-16 (NKJV) tells us “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Jesus is telling us that He would rather we be hot or cold. We either love Him or we hate Him. We cannot sit on the fence. As I have heard it said, the fence belongs to the devil too.
This world and especially the times that we live in are challenging. We live among the cancel culture. We live among darkness that is enveloping our world and the love of many is growing cold. To be a Christian in this day will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
Jesus tells us “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3, NKJV) We are also told “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4, NKJV)
I share these scriptures with you to encourage you and to let you know that to receive this there must be sacrifice. We cannot stand for what is evil and say that we serve God. God is not a God of compromise. God calls us to be a people that is holy and set apart. Jesus Himself even told His disciples that they were in the world but not of it. Acts 26:18 (NKJV) says, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Though Jesus is speaking to Paul in this verse, this is a verse that can be applied to us for a time such as this! If we compromise our faith, how can the world experience Jesus and be transformed? How can the God sized hole in us be filled and completely satisfied by God if we compromise? How can we experience the “something more” if we compromise? What God has in store isn’t a mundane routine that’s day to day. He has a life that builds strength, character love, and brings hope. What God shares with us, we must share with the world. The gospel wasn’t made to be contained to one person, but to spread throughout the nations so that everyone has the opportunity to receive Christ as Savior.
There is an emptiness inside of us that needs to be filled. Could this be from “tasting and seeing that the Lord is good?” (Psalm 34:8) Maybe we feel torn between flesh and spirit. Maybe we try to fill it with the things of the world (flesh), but the things of this world are never enough. They only leave us longing for the next best thing and the next best thing and the next. There is never any satisfaction. There is never any contentment. We take each day at a time living for self, for no real purpose, and the days waste away. What do we have to show for it? We may have a big fancy home, or an expensive vehicle, or the best brand name everything to make us feel good, but what does that get us in the perspective of eternity? We need to live from a place of rest in God and not self. The Bible tells us “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, NKJV)
Where are our treasures stored? How is it preparing us for eternity? The Bible tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) If we taste and see that the Lord is good and we know that in His presence is fullness of joy, then what must we do to remain in His presence and continuous joy? The answer to this question is in the question itself. Are we spending time in the presence of the Lord? Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, and that good thing would not be taken from her. (Luke 10:42)
Just as a personal relationship with our loved ones develops a closeness and understanding of one another, so does a personal relationship with God. We long to be with the ones we love, to be in their presence and to know them, but what about the one who created us? What about the one whose love is perfect? Do we have that same longing for Him? Do we truly want to know the heart of God? Do we want to know what He hates and what He loves? Do we want to know the hope and future that He has for us? (Jeremiah 29:11) Do we truly want to obey His commands so that we can have that abundant life that the Bible talks about? We live in a time where we take and take and take, but we aren’t willing to give. We want others to sacrifice for us, but we ourselves aren’t willing to sacrifice. Society is reaching a point where good is called evil and evil is called good. Is this where we want to store our treasures? Is this how we want that God sized hole filled? Is this the “something more” we desire?
This is not God’s desire for us! There comes a time where we decide if we are for God or against Him. Do we want Him or not? There is no happy medium. Revelation 3:15-16 (NKJV) tells us “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Jesus is telling us that He would rather we be hot or cold. We either love Him or we hate Him. We cannot sit on the fence. As I have heard it said, the fence belongs to the devil too.
This world and especially the times that we live in are challenging. We live among the cancel culture. We live among darkness that is enveloping our world and the love of many is growing cold. To be a Christian in this day will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
Jesus tells us “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3, NKJV) We are also told “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4, NKJV)
I share these scriptures with you to encourage you and to let you know that to receive this there must be sacrifice. We cannot stand for what is evil and say that we serve God. God is not a God of compromise. God calls us to be a people that is holy and set apart. Jesus Himself even told His disciples that they were in the world but not of it. Acts 26:18 (NKJV) says, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Though Jesus is speaking to Paul in this verse, this is a verse that can be applied to us for a time such as this! If we compromise our faith, how can the world experience Jesus and be transformed? How can the God sized hole in us be filled and completely satisfied by God if we compromise? How can we experience the “something more” if we compromise? What God has in store isn’t a mundane routine that’s day to day. He has a life that builds strength, character love, and brings hope. What God shares with us, we must share with the world. The gospel wasn’t made to be contained to one person, but to spread throughout the nations so that everyone has the opportunity to receive Christ as Savior.
