Romans 9:20-21

September 16, 2011
So I’m reading Romans 9:20-21 this morning and it’s talking about the clay pots, I’ve read it a million times but this time it stuck out to me where it said some are made for noble things and others for common—it was like a punch to the stomach. What if I’m only made for common things? For the every day stuff? These desires in my heart are for greatness, for so much more…. Would those be there if I was only meant for the common day to day things of this world?
Then I was thinking, God doesn’t see things like we do. What we see as common may not exactly be the same way that He sees them, typically this is true in most cases I think. Then I thought about the disciples. They were All common people, in the midst of working and living their day to day lives when God stepped in and brought them into their destiny. It was IN THE MIDST of their day to day, ho hum, mediocre lives that they found their call, that that desire of their heart was fulfilled, or maybe even just stirred, showing them something they didn’t even know was there. And then I thought of David. Same thing. Tending the flock, daydreaming his days away and then one day he’s summoned and thrust into greatness. And Then he’s Told of his destiny, but has to go back to tending flock In The Meantime…. That’s rough right there. It was ages before he ever saw that prophecy, that destiny, that dream, that call, that gut-wrenching heart desire fulfilled, but it was. Did he curse God In his Meantime? Did he decide to switch plans, jobs, locations? Switch it up and see if that made it better, see if that made it come to pass quicker, help God out? No, he went back to his normal, every day life, and waited on the Lord to open the doors, to bring His clay pot to his destiny.
Maybe it comes as you walk the road you’re on, unless He tells you otherwise or opens another door then you’re on the right path? I think the hard part is the waiting of course. But He’s testing and trying us through the day to day I’m sure…. Are we a good steward? Do we work as unto Him not man? Do we work with excellence? Do we change the atmosphere and impact the sphere of influence we’ve already been given? Where is our heart in all of this? Do we grow bitter or continue to trust in the One Who created us and has destined our lives from before the beginning of creation? Or do we, as clay pots, shake our fists at the Creator, questioning why He made us as He did, never stopping to realize He didn’t Have to make us at all…..
Are we wishing away our lives, missing the moments and glimpses of His hand because our eyes are on ‘tomorrow’ and ‘greater’? We walk through the day to day in a zombie state just waiting for the way out or the promotion or the next great thing, when in reality we are missing the opportunities to minister, the chance to change lives, the possibility of stepping into our destiny at Any moment because Jesus is standing there waiting for us to see Him standing on the shoreline, waving us to follow Him.
Are lives are but a whisper so why do we spend it as if we had eternity? Because deep down we know we were Created for eternity, but not with this life.
Looking back through scriptures it was In the Midst of every day life that Jesus came and brought them out of their ‘every day’ life and into their destiny, into greatness. And as believers we are All called to greatness, to noble things, I think it’s the package, the clay pot we’ve been given that is different. We are not all called to be kings or millionaires or missionaries or mega church pastor, but we all have a great call, a great destiny to be fulfilled that is specific to the gifting we’ve been given. We are not all called to be Heidi Baker’s, that was not the pot I was made into, but should I curse my pot because it’s not like hers? That would be to say that what God created was garbage, which we know is not biblical so therefore cannot be true.
I think it comes down to perspective as well. Do we see ourselves as broken, common clay ash trays? Then we probably live our lives that way. But as a child of God that cannot be your view of yourself, shouldn’t be at least. We are to see ourselves as He sees us….The apple of His eye….The culmination of His Creation….His sons & daughters.
And because of that we should live that way, as David lived. We may not be walking in the ‘greatness’ that we think we should be, or even that we’ve been told or promised to be, but we are to live as David did, as God’s children. Knowing the great call we have on our lives and that it’s up to the Creator to determine when we are ready, when the clay is ready to come out of the refining fires of the furnace and placed in the showcase we were destined for, that heart’s desire fulfilled.
Are we living our as if we’re zombies in a mediocre life? Then that’s our choice. A sad, poorly thought through choice, but it’s yours to make. We should be living life fully alive, and if we’re not we need to adjust our perspective, what are we looking at? Are we looking at our lack of desires fulfilled in a ho hum existence or the Creator Who gave us this life to explore and promises to be fulfilled & seek out? Are you grabbing every moment, every opportunity, every encounter with the Lord and riding it to the summit? Are you taking your common, clay garbage can of a life and living every aspect of it to the fullest possibility? I may look like a common clay pot, but that’s exactly who Jesus likes to use….