(January 08, 2025) Dr Richard Winter challengingly encourages…

So it’s 2025— a year that’ll be full of opportunity!

But… even now in some people’s minds there’s the question of ‘What will this new year bring? I failed so much last year.’ And… some people, even Christians, have already begun this new year full of regret regarding last year!

Is that you? Had bad experiences in 2024… earlier? Let’s remember that despite past failures God cares for us, wants the best for us, bless and use us!

Moving On
Three realities here—
(i) Life may not always good, but…
(ii) God is good all the time and…
(iii) All the time God is good!

• A question that comes to us is ‘How do I handle life this new year when I’ve found in the past that life can be downright hard to handle?’
• The real question should be: ‘How can God assist me fulfill the demands of being a disciple, and engage others in coming to know Father God and His Son Jesus as Saviour of the world?’
• So let’s take a life lesson— based on scripture— on God helping us handle the practical, and on our understanding the spiritual application of living life and living for God in 2025.

Moving Along
Our main scripture is one the OT prophet Jeremiah’s. He proclaimed the following word that came to him from the Lord: ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’

Jeremiah didn’t hang around! He moved along! ‘So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.’

And as he was observing this potter recreate, he heard His loving God’s assurance that He too can put things right! ‘Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel…’ (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

We Christians can add after Israel ‘or you, child of God.’ (1John 3:2 states firmly: ‘Dear friends, now we are children of God…’ Paul in Romans 8:16 states, ‘The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.’ John 1:12 declares ‘… to all who did receive him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—)’.

God had told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house where, as the KJV puts it he would ‘hear My words.’ Hear is shama, to listen intelligently often with the implication of obedience. And what lesson did God want to get through to Jeremiah (and us who read the prophet’s words)?

Jeremiah was to see the potter fail in making a pot— and starting afresh over again! We may be required to go somewhere to see something that God wants us to understand.

Notice something important here— Jeremiah was obedient: he moved on! 1Samuel 15:22 says obedience is better than sacrifice. In other words, obey God when He speaks before you start offering Him things to make up for some personal disobedience!

Moving Anew
Have you ever made some pottery? If so—

• You have the intention of making something beautiful.
• It’s there in your head… you can see a special pot.
• As you attempt to make it, it doesn’t cooperate with your intentions!
• If it wobbles all over the wheel you give in and say, ‘I give it away!’
• Or do you say, ‘I’ll start again. Help me, Lord.’ If so—
• The imperfect lump of clay is pushed down to become a lump of soft clay in your hands.

The application of this to our lives is easy to understand— watch what happens to something that doesn’t turn out right! God can make something beautiful out of it!

God is the potter for the Christian’s human life as well as spiritual! Israel was the clay here but hadn’t turn out as God intended. What He wanted Jeremiah to realise that He rework them as clay in His hands, start again just like that potter, with a fresh desire to do something wonderful and they’d be fully crafted to function as they should— just like a potter making a pot for daily use.

Dear readers— God’s message here is ‘Understand that this can happen to you if you be clay in my hands.’

Moving Obediently
If I could I’d give you all a small pot of clay so we can make this really personal!

Well…imagine I have— open the container and start to roll the clay around in your hands. The interesting thing with clay, or playdough, is that it can be shaped into any shape you like… so let’s all make a good shape. Perhaps start with a ball, then make it into a square, then a star…

The object lesson is rather simple: The clay represents life and life will mold you and shape you. Hurtful experiences can shape you badly— but blessings can shape you strongly.

Anyone remember cassette tapes? They were big in my day but if you can’t recall them, how about VCR tapes? Both tapes could be taped over… we could produce something new and good out of something not wanted! Taping over a bad recording or something you wanted erased was possible!

(i) When you consider life, you come to understand that change is the constant, that it’ll be there whether you want it or not. You should be ready for change to jump into your life when you least expect it!
(ii) Know that God has your life in His hands, His potter’s hands and He desires the best for you always. So how do we get there… if our life is a mess, maybe even a total mess, and we really want out?
(iii) The answer is four-fold—

• Remember Jeremiah above, the potter and the clay.
• Recognise that you are clay and that God is the master potter.
• Renounce all sin and allow God to start again with you!
• Readily dare to be in God’s hands for 2025!

Moving Creatively
Now then… some more lessons. Take your playdough and roll it in your hands and make the longest length you can. You’ll find that as the playdough is stretched it will eventually break.

Life can truly be like this… stretched and broken—and when this happen start again! Allow the master potter to gather up the broken pieces and push them together and start again. Let our cry be: ‘Lord, mold me again into  a new shape that will be in your image, enable me to be as you require and can use for your kingdom!’

Imagine that you’re working with clay molding a new shape: Make a cup or a bowl. Now make it into a heart. Look at it, recalling that soft hearts that can change with new seasons are always going to be filled with God’s grace and love!

The lesson here is that you started out with was a cup… but you changed the shape to be something new. This is what God does with us as we journey through life… He brings change because He wants to make us into a vessel that He can use for His glory!

Moving Objectively
Let’s make another new shape: a plate. Smooth it out to the best you can and with a fingernail put some scars on your plate. Lesson? Life will put some scars on you… these scars could be people, relationships, personal failures, old hurts and disappointments.

Life will not always turn out as expected and we all have some scars. But when God the master potter says let’s start again, understand His heart: He is saying that He will make this clay— you— into a new creation and all of the scars of the past will be covered over by the new creation of re-worked clay!

We talk of rockets having a lift off so they can soar into space… many people need a lift off so they can leave the pressure of the past behind! We all have life scars that can come zooming out of our memories to capture and control us. But when the past and its pressures are removed by the master potter, you are ready for God to make you, the new and real you!

Life will not always turn out as expected and we all have some scars. But when God the master potter says let’s start again, understand His heart: He is saying that He will make this clay— you— into a new creation and all of the scars of the past will be covered over by the new creation of re-worked clay!

Scars in life are not the end— the new creation of God’s handiwork is! And how long will God be creating a new you? He will work at making you beautiful until you see Him face to face. You will not stay scared by life and people and failure, you will be healed and your pains removed.

So here we are in 2025 and all of us have a past. But understanding the principle of God making us a new creation fit for purpose, and pliable in His hands, will bless us and make this ‘new casting’ one that God directs for His kingdom and His glory.

Moving Reshaped
Look again at Jeremiah’s illustration above—

• One potter and one new  unique pot to be made.
• In life there are many pots of different sizes and shape. You are unique!
• God did not make a mistake when He chose you… there is only one you!
• He never stays with your past problems or failures.
• God simply says you were created for such a time as this and wants to direct you in 2025!

So let God make us an instrument for Him— as He chooses knowing what is best for us and what we can do best for Him according to the Holy Spirit gifts and skills He has given us.

Enter 2025 with God as the master potter and we the clay! Let God remake us so we can be fit for His purposes. Isaiah 64:8 declares ‘… you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.’ 

Dare to put your hand in the master potter’s!
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Dr Richard Winter pastors The Connection Church, Huntington Beach, California. Link: OnlinerConnect@gmail.com  
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