Selling Cracked Pots

The apostle Paul wrote, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:5). A sincere faith is a faith that's genuine.  It’s not fake.

The word sincere comes from two Latin terms sine and cere meaning “without wax.”  In those days, sometimes potters would accidentally crack their vessels they were making. If they were crooked, they would try to deceive the buyer by patching the crack with wax, painting over it, and then selling it.  After the people took the jar home and set it in the hot sun, the wax would melt and it would start leaking.

When honest potters cracked a jar they would throw it away.  When they made a pot in perfect condition they would stamp it "Sine Cere" —without wax.  They guaranteed that their jars didn’t have cracks in them and that they weren't patched with wax. What the seller made was genuine. It wasn’t a fake.  

When Paul says he wants your faith to be sincere, he means having a faith without any cover-ups. What you see is what you get.  It's not a patched-up fake.  Do people see a sincere faith in you? 

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It's How You Look at It

While Timmy was playing in the yard a bee stung him on the hand. He ran to his mother, crying, "I hate bees! I wish God had never made them." His mom put some ointment on the sting and said, "Do you want some toast and honey to cheer you up?"

Timmy perked up. "Yeah, I love honey!"

“Did you know that it takes bees to make honey?" she asked.

He looked at the honey and said, "I never realized there was a good side to bees!"

Nearly everything in life has a good side and a bad side, and everyone gets to choose what they will focus on. It’s easy for us to always look for what’s wrong. It takes more effort to look for what’s good and positive in every situation.

Paul said, “Whatever is true…honorable…right…pure…good…anything worthy of praise let your mind dwell on these things” (Phil. 4:8). If you will discipline yourself to control your thoughts (and it will take discipline), you discover the secret of happiness. I challenge you to spend today finding the positive side of every situation and thanking God for each thing you see. Doing this every day will change your life.

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Putting Your Child in God's Hands

Pharaoh ordered all the male Hebrew babies to be killed, so Jochebed made a bold decision. She put baby Moses in a tar-covered wicker basket and placed it in the reeds by the Nile River. (See Ex. 2:3-9). Moses could have easily been eaten by a crocodile or swept downstream. Jochebed made a decision to let go of her child and place him in God's hands.

When the daughter of Pharaoh came down to the river to bathe, she discovered the baby and had pity on him. Moses' sister Miriam saw her pick up the baby, so she went to her and asked, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?" (v.7)  Miriam ran and got Jochebed, the mother of Moses. Pharaoh's daughter paid her wages to nurse her own baby! God had a plan for Moses, who grew up to be the man who delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Looking back on the story, we can clearly see God's hand at work. But God's hand isn't so obvious when you're doing something risky, like letting go of your child. That's why we must trust God's heart when we can't see His hand.

Have you placed your children in God's hands? Just as Jochebed "let go" of Moses and put him in God's hands, you must do the same with your children. Perhaps you have a wayward child that you are worried about. Maybe your child is in a dangerous situation and needs God's protection. Can you trust God to take care of your child even as Moses' mother placed her trust in God? You must turn your child over to the Lord and let Him take care of the situation. If he or she is rebellious, the change in your child's behavior might not happen instantly, but will happen ultimately. So put your child in the basket, give him or her to God, and quit fretting.

Prayer: "Lord, I let go and place my child in your hands.  I trust you for protection.  I'm going to stop worrying about him (her) because I trust you to do what I can't do. Thank you for what you are going to do in my child. Amen."

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Entering the Promised Land

When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River, they were now in the Promised Land.  Whenever you obey what God has called you to do, He will bless you for taking that step of faith.  Here are four blessings awaiting you in the Promised Land.

1. God will give you a new respect.  Joshua 5:1 says, "When all the kings of the Amorites...and the Canaanites...heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel." The Amorites and Canaanites had probably sent spies to watch them come into their land. When they saw the waters parting, they were terrified!  They had a new respect for Israel and knew they would never be able to defeat them. Your enemies will also be afraid of you when you do what God says.

2. God will give you a new reputation. Joshua 5:9 says, "Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.'" What does that mean? After they had left Egypt, the Egyptians had mocked them for wandering in the wilderness for so long.  They probably said, "Israel has no vision. They don't know where they're going!" (See Ex. 14:3).  The Egyptians didn't realize that God was leading Israel by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  The timing wasn't right for them to enter the land.  But now that they had crossed the Jordan, God says, "I'm now vindicating you.  I'm removing the reproach of the Egyptians. You are now in the land I have given you!"

3. God will give you new provision.  God stopped sending manna to them on the day they started eating from the land (Joshua 5:12).  By entering the Promised Land, God gave them something much better than what they had been eating.  Now they had more food and a better variety.

4.God will give you a new protection. Joshua saw a man with a sword and asked who he was. It was the Angel of the Lord who said, "I indeed come as the captain of the army of heaven" (Josh. 5:14).  The Angel never appeared to them in the wilderness, but as soon as they entered the Promised Land, he shows up to assure Joshua that he now had greater protection.

Have you entered the Promised Land or are you still wandering in the wilderness?
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Crossing the Jordan

The children of Israel had spent 40 years in the wilderness and now they were about to enter into the Promised Land. The Jordan River was the barrier keeping them out, so they had to cross the Jordan to get there. Sometimes we need to leave the past behind and enter new territory. Usually we will encounter a barrier that keeps us from the new land, and we must break through that barrier to get to what God has for us.  Here are 4 principles in "Crossing the Jordan."

1. You must believe that God has given you the land.  God had promised their fathers that He would give them their own land (Josh. 1:6).  Many of those people died in the wilderness and could not enter it due to unbelief (Heb. 3:19).  Before you can enter any new territory, you must believe that it's God's will and that He has given it to you.

2. You must believe that the Promised Land is better than the wilderness.  Why would you go into the land, unless you believed it was better than the wilderness?  The 12 men that Moses had sent to spy out the land said that it was "an exceedingly good land" (Num. 14:7).  Some people probably said, "I kind of like it here in the wilderness.  This is what I'm used to. I like all the sand, rocks, and dirt out here. I'm not sure I want to go into a land full of green grass and fruit trees."  It's easy to stay with what you're familiar with instead of doing something new. But then you miss out on the blessings God has for you.

3. You must believe that God is with you.  Joshua said, "Be strong and courageous...for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:9).  To leave your comfort zone and tread into new territory, you must believe that God is with you and that you're not on your own. "God is with you" means that He is there to help and guide you through all situations, both good and bad.

4. You must take a step of faith into the Jordan.  Imagine standing at the Jordan River, and you don't know how you're going to get an entire nation across it.  There isn't a bridge over the river. There aren't any boats. But God told them to take a step of faith and He would open the way.  As soon as the priests put their feet in the river, the Lord stopped the water and they crossed over (Josh. 3:13).  Sometimes God wants us to take the step of faith first, and then He will come through.

Do you need to cross the Jordan today?

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