The Sermon the Potter Preached

God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Go down to the potter’s house and there I shall announce My words to you” (Jeremiah 18:1). God could have told him everything at once, but He wanted to reveal information to him in stages. When we obey what God has told us to do, He will then reveal more.

After he got there, the potter preached a sermon to Jeremiah in a visual way concerning the future of Judah (Israel), but the message applies to us as well. I’m sure the potter had no idea we would be reading his sermon 2,600 years later! Here are three lessons from the potter’s sermon: 

Lesson #1  God is in the process of molding you.  Everyone is in the process of being molded, either by the Holy Spirit or the pressures of this world. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” To be molded by God, He says to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6). Yield to His touch.

Lesson #2  God’s plan for you may not be obvious at first.  Jeremiah 18:3 says the potter was “making something” on the wheel. What he was making wasn’t obvious at first. The potter had a plan in his mind concerning the vessel he wanted to make. Romans 9:20 says, “The thing molded will not say to the potter, ‘Why did you make me like this’ will it?” Trust the Lord to lead and guide you, even when the plan is unclear and you don’t understand.

Lesson #3  If you’ve made a mistake, remember that God isn’t finished with you.  “But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter, so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make” (Jer. 18:4). The potter detected a flaw in the clay because some gritty substance resisted his touch. Even though the clay was marred, the potter didn’t throw it away. He made it into another vessel.

Perhaps you’ve drifted away from God and resisted His will for your life. Maybe you think your life is over. The Lord has not abandoned you and still has a plan for your life. Put your life in His hands and He will complete the work He wants to do in you.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

BIBLE STUDY: Lessons from Cain, Balaam, and Korah

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Making Life Count Ministries
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God Can Be With You ... When It Looks Like He's Against You

Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold as a slave to an officer of Pharaoh. Why would God allow such a thing? And then we read a phrase that makes us question our theology: “The Lord was with Joseph” (Gen. 39:2-3). It’s enough to raise an eyebrow.

We read on. Later he was falsely accused and unjustly thrown into prison, without a proper trial. Again it says, “The Lord was with Joseph . . .” But there’s even more, enough to lift the other eyebrow. “. . . and extended kindness toward him” (39:21).

Suppose an opinion poll was taken at that time. The pollster asks, “Joseph was betrayed, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and unjustly imprisoned. Do you think God is with him?” The man on the street says, “Obviously God can’t be with him. If the Lord was with Joseph, those things wouldn’t have happened.”

It’s easy to believe the Lord is with someone who is on the way up, but not on the way down. Up to this point, Joseph was only going down. The Lord can be with you when your circumstances tell you He isn’t.

Gideon was hiding from the Midianites, when the angel of the Lord said, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior!” Gideon responded, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:12-13).

When is He with you? He’s with you when you’re faithfully doing what He calls you to do. He’s with you when you keep the right attitude when you’re falsely accused. He’s with you when you trust Him, even when the situation says He has abandoned you. Live today as though He is actually with you, and the Lord will be with you. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

BIBLE STUDY: How can a loving God send people to hell?

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
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Seeing Only What We Want to See

The following comes from Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals.

Tony Whittaker wrote about how a thirty-second film shows six people playing basketball, three in white shirts and three in black. Volunteers were asked to count how many times the white shirt team passed the ball. At the end of the film, they were asked if they saw anything unusual. Most didn’t.

The unusual thing was found halfway through the film. A man wearing a gorilla suit walked through the players, beat his chest to the camera, and then walked off. When shown the film again, people were shocked to see the gorilla. Some believed a different film was substituted for the original one.

Whittaker says, “This film trick illustrates a simple fact that if we are only looking for one thing, we do not usually see anything different.”

Jesus encountered a man with a withered hand. “So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him” (Mark 3:2). The Pharisees were only looking for one thing—to catch Him breaking the Law.

As they watched, Jesus healed the man’s hand, but they missed seeing the miracle. Instead of worshiping Him, they plotted to kill Him. They couldn’t see that He was the Messiah. It was as obvious as the gorilla beating his chest in the midst of the basketball players.

Some people only see what they want to see and miss what they need to see. John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” Don’t miss seeing what God is doing in your situation. You need to see it.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

 BIBLE STUDY:  Why did God say to not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk?

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Making Life Count Ministries
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In Search of the Greener Grass

Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen argued because their herds became too large and the land could no longer sustain them. Abram told Lot, “I don’t want strife between us, so I’ll give you the first choice of the land for your flocks and herds.” Lot chose the green valley of Sodom because it would be a good place for his livestock. But the greener grass wasn’t as nice as it seemed. The people living there were evil, and Abram later had to come rescue him (Gen. 13:7-13).   

 

The “greener grass syndrome” tells you that you can’t be happy where you are right now. You need to go somewhere else. Do something else. Be with someone else. The life you’re living is terrible. Everyone else has a better life. If you could just get a little more, you’d be happy too.   

 

But it doesn’t matter how much you’ve accumulated if you can’t enjoy what you have. “God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them” Eccl. 6:2 (NIV). If you don’t have the God-given ability to enjoy life, you’ll never by happy no matter where you go or what you get.  

 

But there really is green grass available to be found. It’s located in Psalm 23:1-2. “The Lord is my shepherd . . . He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Notice it doesn’t say He makes us run all over the world searching for green pastures. When we follow the Shepherd, He makes us lie down in it. That’s a restful, relaxed spirit.

 

The grass is always greenest in the center of God’s will. Discontentment always points us to a place where God isn’t leading, but contentment is always happy wherever He leads. That’s where you’ll be the most satisfied and fulfilled, and where you’ll be most pleasing to the Lord. But you’ll never find the greener grass unless you follow the Shepherd.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com   

I LOVE THIS SONG: The New 23rd Psalm  

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Making Life Count Ministries 
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Open and Closed Doors

You drive up to iron gate at a subdivision to visit a friend. The gate is closed the keep people out, but you can open it if you have a remote, or if you punch in the right code.

One of the ways God guides us is through open and closed doors. God has the ability to open doors that no one can shut, and shut doors that no one can open (Rev. 3:7). An open door is when an opportunity opens up for us, such as being offered a better job. He can also prevent us from making a wrong decision by keeping the door closed. When God opens a door it’s for our advantage, and when He closes a door it’s for our protection.

Just because a door is closed doesn’t meant that it’s not God’s will. Sometimes the Lord wants to develop our faith by having us knock on the door until it opens. Jesus told a parable about a man who went to a friend’s house at midnight and knocked on his door, asking for bread (Luke 11:5-8). 

His neighbor denied his request and wanted him to go away. But the man kept pounding on the door, knowing his friend wouldn’t get any sleep until he opened it and gave him some bread. Jesus said, “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:8).

And just because a door is open doesn’t mean that it is God’s will to walk through it. Sometimes an opportunity looks too good to pass up, but the open door will actually hurt us if we go down that road. So how do we know which open door to go through? By asking God for wisdom and discernment. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, which includes choosing the right doors (John 16:13). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

104 Answers to Bible Questions

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Making Life Count Ministries
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When Caterpillars Become Butterflies

Two caterpillars were crawling across a hot sidewalk when a butterfly flew over them. One caterpillar told the other, “I wouldn’t get up in that thing for a million dollars.”  It’s hard for a caterpillar to imagine that it will one day become a butterfly. 

The caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly is picture of the resurrection body. When Jesus’ beaten, dead body was placed in the tomb, three days later it came back to life and was transformed into a glorious, powerful resurrection body. It was the same body because the holes were still in His hands.

Jesus was the first to receive a resurrection body, and every believer in Him will also receive one. Our bodies will be transformed from our current “caterpillar” form into our future “butterfly” status. John tells us, “Now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2).

Our resurrection bodies will literally radiate brightness, just like Jesus after He was glorified (Rev. 1:14,16). “The righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43). Our resurrection bodies will have supernatural abilities (1 Cor. 15::40-43), and we’ll never get tired or need sleep. God will expand our knowledge so we’ll understand concepts that are impossible to grasp with our present knowledge (1 Cor. 13:12).

Why will it be necessary to have supernatural strength and knowledge? It’s because we will be serving God throughout eternity (Rev. 22:3). Those eternal assignments will require us to be advanced in every way. We won’t know what our duties will be until we get there. Until that day comes, be faithful in serving the Lord here on earth. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
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www.makinglifecount.net 

Why Did Jesus Ask for Two Donkeys?

Jesus told two of His disciples, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me” (Matt. 21:2). Wait a minute. Why did Jesus need two donkeys? He intended to ride the young colt into Jerusalem. The colt had never been ridden on (Luke 19:30), and the mother donkey would come along to keep her offspring calm.

When He rode into Jerusalem, it was to announce He was their long-awaited Messiah and to fulfill a prophecy given 500 years earlier: “Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt” (Zech. 9:9).

Jesus rode on the young colt, and the mother donkey may have walked next to them. He didn’t come riding on a white horse, like a king coming to conquer. To signify He was coming in peace, the Prince of Peace humbly rode on a small donkey. That would be like the President of the United States riding on a tricycle in his Inaugural Parade.

The multitudes spread garments and palm branches on the road, while crying out, “Hosanna . . . Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 21:9). Jesus was their King, but He explained, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). He wasn’t going to overthrow Rome and sit on an earthly throne, but would be dying for the sins of the world.

In a few days, the same crowd that cried “Hosanna!” (which means “Save now!”) would be yelling “Crucify Him!” The next time He comes, He won’t ride on a donkey. He will be on a white horse to judge the world (Rev. 19:11).

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  ******************************************************************************************

Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
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God's Tear Bottle

David prays, “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8) David is referring to the custom of collecting tears in a tear bottle. Tear bottles were vessels used to catch and preserve the owner’s tears during times of grief and sorrow. When ancient tombs have been opened, tear bottles have been found in large numbers.

Each member of the family owned a tear bottle, which was considered one of the most cherished possessions because it represented all the heartaches and sorrows of the individual. When a person died, his tear bottle was buried with him.

On one occasion, Jesus was in the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-40). A woman came into the house and washed His feet with her tears. It’s unlikely she would have been able to cry enough tears to wash His feet, so it’s possible that she took her tear bottle with her and poured her tears on His dusty feet. Those tears could not be replaced, so she might have been buried without a bottle of tears next to her in the tomb.

David’s prayer reminds us that God also has a “tear bottle” where He counts each pain and suffering, and remembers every tear that His children shed.  If you are going through a difficult time right now and crying tears of pain and sorrow, God promises a better tomorrow to His children who trust in Him:

Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night (now), but joy comes in the morning (future).”

Psalm 126:5 “Those who sow in tears (now) shall reap with joyful shouting (future).”

Jeremiah 31:13 “For I will turn their mourning (now) into joy (future)”

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn (now), for they shall be comforted (future).”

Revelation 21:4  “He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes…there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain (future).” www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
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Making the First Move in Peacemaking

A bully approached a little boy. The boy was scared he was about to get beaten up, so he quickly drew a line in the sand. He told the bully, “Step across that line.” The bully stepped over it. With a grin on his face the little boy said, “Now we’re both on the same side!”

Jesus said, “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law, while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge …and you be thrown in prison” (Matt. 5:25). We are usually too slow in resolving conflict, which allows strained relationships to fester and creates painful consequences. Jesus said to make peace with your enemy “quickly” to prevent something worse that could happen to you.  

You might be reluctant to make the first move to reconcile, but God will bless the one who makes the first move in peacemaking. You step over the line—not to fight, but to make peace. “If possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men” (Rom. 12:18). Many times reconciliation is not possible, but God says to make an attempt.

If your attempt fails, you can still have peace of mind because you obeyed God, even if your enemy won’t accept you. Sometimes your attempt to make peace will break down the wall of enmity. You may never be reconciled with someone refuses to work out differences. However, your attempt can ease the tensions of a strained relationship, and might even soften your enemy’s heart. 

Imagine if you were “both on the same side.” It might even bring a grin to your face.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  

Dog Thoughts vs. Human Thoughts

Years ago, I had a dog with an IQ 1, maybe 2. Sometimes he would look at me and tilt his head as if he were trying to figure out what I was thinking. But there’s no way that he could read my mind because human thoughts are higher than dog thoughts.

If I read my dog Bandit every book in my library, it would have been a waste of time. If I opened the hood of my car and explained to him how to repair the engine, he would comprehend nothing. Humans have a much higher level of knowledge and understanding than dogs, and sending him to Harvard wouldn’t do anything to increase his IQ.

Just as people are much smarter than dogs, God is infinitely wiser and more intelligent than any human on earth. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8-9)

How does God guide two people, who don’t know they are being led, to meet at a certain place and eventually get married? How does God answer our prayers at just the right time? We aren’t capable of understanding how He does this any more than Bandit understands how to read a book or repair a car. 

God is able to do far beyond all that we are able to ask or even think (Eph. 3:20). Stop trying to figure out how God will answer your prayer or meet your needs. You won’t be able to do it. Instead, just trust that He knows and is able to make it happen.
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net  

Making a Name for Yourself

After graduating from high school, James Dobson arrived on the campus of Point Loma College for his freshman year. He walked into the administration building and saw a large trophy case, with a two-foot-high tennis trophy prominently displayed in the center. Engraved on the shaft were the names of all the collegiate tennis champions back to 1947.

As he stood before the historic trophy, he said to himself, “Someday I’m going to add my name to the list of legends.” Becoming the college tennis champ was his highest goal in life at that time. Nothing mattered to him more than that. Dobson lettered in tennis all four years, and just as he dreamed, his name was inscribed on the big trophy. He was happy to know that future generations of students would stand at that display case and read his name on it.

Fifteen years later, he received a phone call from a friend who had visited the college. By chance he found the tennis trophy that had Dobson’s name engraved on it in the dumpster! The athletic department decided to get rid of the less significant trophies to make room for their new displays. That trophy, which meant so much to him, was now just a piece of junk no one wanted. Dr. Dobson concluded, “If you live long enough, life will trash your trophies.” (James Dobson, Life on the Edge, 59-61)  

Many people want to make a name for themselves so they’ll always be remembered. But the fact is, not long after you die, no one will even remember that you lived on this planet. “For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten” (Eccl. 2:16). Instead of living to glorify your name, live to glorify God’s name. “The world is passing away…but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

No one will remember you after you die, but if you’ll live to please the Lord, He will remember your name throughout eternity.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY: Why do the gospels list different names for the disciples?

Making Life Count Ministries
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Ageing and Wanting to Look Younger

A young man was brought into court for making fraudulent claims. He had been arrested for selling “fountain of youth” pills, alleging they could keep anyone young forever. The judge asked the arresting officer, “Has he had prior arrests?” 

“Yes, your honor,” he replied. “He was arrested for the same offense in 1979, 1956, 1931, 1918, 1874, 1849....”

Many people would like to turn back the clock and look younger, so they’ll buy skin care products and have cosmetic surgeries. Someone told me that scientists have developed a formula to make people to look young again. They just have to iron out few wrinkles before it’s put on the market.

Time crawls when you’re young, but time goes faster as you grow older. Comedian Mark Lowry explains: “When you’re a child, you think of age in fractions. You are 5½ years old, going on 6. No one says, ‘I’m 36½ going on 37.’ Time speeds up after 21. You turn 40. You reach 50. You make it to 60. Now you’re going so fast that you hit 70.”

Do you wish you were younger? The best days of your life are right now, and God can still bless you at your current age. If you’re 15 years old, it’s God’s will for you to be 15, not 21. If you’re 65, it’s God’s will for you to be 65, not 25. 

David said, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25 HCSB). He reflected on his life and declared that no matter what your age, God is faithful to guide you and provide for you. David also said, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6). If goodness and mercy are following you for your whole life, it means everything will turn out fine. 

So then, live for God and enjoy life. Starting right now. 

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY: How did the book of Revelation get off the island of Patmos?

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Making Plans

When President Ronald Reagan was a boy, his aunt took him to a cobbler to have some shoes made. The shoemaker asked young Ronald, “Do you want a square toe or a round toe?” Reagan couldn’t decide, so the cobbler told him to come back later.

Two days later he told the shoemaker he still hadn’t made up his mind. “Very well,” the cobbler replied. 

When Reagan picked up his shoes, one shoe had a square toe and the other a round one. “Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson,” Reagan said years later. “If you don't make your own decisions, someone else will make them for you.”

 If you don’t make plans for your life, someone else will. Without plans you’ll bounce around like a ball in a pinball machine, reacting to every circumstance until you run out of energy. Suppose you’re on a cruise ship and ask the captain, “When do we plan to arrive?”

He answers, “Plans? I don’t make plans. I just trust God to control the waves and guide the boat to the right destination.” Some people drift through life that way. They float around like a rudderless ship, hoping they’ll drift to the right dock.

However, God’s guidance includes making plans. “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9). Once you have prayerfully made your plans, commit them to the Lord. “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established” (Prov. 16:3). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  

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BIBLE STUDY: What is the Q Document?

Making Life Count Ministries
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