Cracked Pots
“But now, O Lord, You are our
Father; we are the clay and You our potter; and all of us are the work
of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8)
The following four paragraphs were sent to Friday Study Ministries by
email:
“A water bearer from long ago had two large pots, each hung on the ends
of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack
in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full
portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the
house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this
went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full
of water to his house.”
“The water bearer had a lot of time to think and decided the pots were
like people. The perfect pot would have been proud of its
accomplishments, perfect in all its ways. The poor cracked pot would
have been ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was
able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.”
“The cracked pot might have said to the bearer: ‘I am ashamed of myself,
and want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my
load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way
back to the house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work,
and you don’t get full value from your efforts.’”
“But the bearer not only carried water, he also planted seeds. He would
have answered the pot: ‘Did you notice that there were flowers only on
your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I
have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your
side of the path – every day while we walked back, you’ve watered them.
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to
decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would
not be this beauty to grace the house.’”
We tend to be like cracked pots, not only in our own estimation (or in
the opinion of someone else) but in the sight of God, who utterly knows
us. If we are honest, we are flawed vessels and we do not effectively
hold the “living water” (John 4:10) offered to all who trust in Jesus
Christ. That’s all right, because we are supposed to be “cracked pots”
(or crackpots if you prefer) that function for God’s purposes and not
for our own. We have uses we don’t even know about and would not
understand them if we did.
How do you answer a person when they say, “I won’t become a Christian
because the Church is full of hypocrites”? They may tell of an injury to
the soul they received years ago from some church or person. If they say
such things, what will you answer?
I like to answer with what I believe is the truth – that the church is
very much like a hospital. What do you find when you go to a hospital?
Why, you find SICK people! They are in a hospital because they need to
get well. In a church, you find SINNERS and you should not be surprised
to find us in such a place – we are here because we need to become well.
It’s not the place or the people that will heal us, by the way, but
instead we need the skill of the Surgeon in charge.
The key to recovery in a hospital is often a combination of surgery and
medications. Rest is another factor. In God’s church, we find that Jesus
Christ is not only the Chief Surgeon in charge of our case, but He is
also the One in charge of Medicine, and He has prescribed for us the
Holy Spirit of God. In our Lord, we find rest for our souls.
As I look back over a life that has included the normal amount of
doctors, hospitals, surgeries and whatever, I recall inconsistent care.
Sometimes the care has been good and other times, not so good. It’s the
same with churches. In our “hospital” we call the “church”, it’s
important to note that the Chief Surgeon always provides excellent care.
It’s the staff personnel (folks like you and me) that tend to be human
and not perfect.
Many have been fascinated by the Apostle Peter, who tried so hard and
yet tended to fail. He had a line of work (he was co-owner of a fishing
business) but one day he was confronted with a choice. Jesus met him
(and his brother Andrew), and said, "Follow Me and I will make you
fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). They went, and Peter tried hard to BE
the Lord's man. Three years later he was still making the attempt but
then reached the depths of despair when he failed what he thought was
the final test - He denied Jesus, not once but three times, as He (the
Lord) was suffering for our sins.
Then the Lord appeared to this man who had been tested beyond his
ability to endure and failed at a critical juncture (just like you and
me, with our "cracked pots" and good intentions). Peter was forgiven, he
received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and his life was marvelously
used for good. But even then, he fell short at critical moments
(Galatians 2:11) and revealed his need of God.
What if you were Peter's contemporary; what would your response to him
have been? You might have gloried in his gifts, his leadership and his
faith in God. Or you might have focused on his humanity and felt hurt by
him, as some are hurt by those in the church today. And yet, it is the
very weaknesses of Peter that permit us to understand God's intention
for you and me, for we lack perfection, too. We can point others to God,
but we are flawed - it is ultimately God who is needed and not those who
point.
He uses ordinary people. We are "cracked pots" but He uses us anyway.
Our holy and righteous God ALLOWS our limitations because the purpose in
LIFE is that we trust in Him - not in the church - not in each other -
in Him! HE is our need and He loves you and me. And the bonus is, that
when we trust in the Son of God, He gives us each other in a new and
better way.
Charles Spurgeon said, “I bear my witness that I owe more to the fire,
and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord’s
workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything,
except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.” But
God sees when you have suffered. God is with you, when you are alone. He
is the Potter, we are the clay, and He loves each one.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You died for me. Let me know that my real
need is for You; not someone or something else – just You. I receive You
now, Lord. Please receive me. Forgive me and let me be able to forgive.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
E-mail:
Ron@FridayStudy.org
Tel: (562) 688-5559
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans 5:8)
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