Hands of the Potter
Child: Hey, don't go away. It's time to read Keys for Kids.
Uncle Charlie: It sure is. I'm Uncle Charlie welcoming you to Keys for Kids. And we're going to have our scripture and a good story in just a moment. Right after we sing all about the birds up on the treetops. Hey, if you know this one, sing along.
Child: The birds up on the treetops sing their song the angels chant their the chorus all day long the flowers in the garden when they're you so why shouldn't I why should you praise him too? The birds upon the treetops sing their song the angels chant the chorus all day long the flowers in the garden blend their heal so why shouldn't I why shouldn't you praise him too?
Uncle Charlie: I'm reading an interesting story from Jeremiah 18. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, arise, go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it again, another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, o house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter saith the Lord? Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, o house of Israel. In today's scripture reading, we see that God uses the example of a potter molding clay to explain how he is molding and forming our lives.
God tells us in romans 829 that he is conforming us into the image of his son. He is making us more like Jesus Christ. We can use other examples to explain the same idea, like in this story about Pete. Pete was young and all alone in the world. His mother had died and his father had left him. Pete was sure that his life was worthless. He had nothing and had no one to care for him. He just wandered around from place to place as he was walking one day, Pete met a crippled man on the beach. Pete watched him cutting little pieces of wood out of an old, dirty piece of driftwood.
Hello. What are you doing with that, that junk? Driftwood? Mister? Pete asked. I'm carving it into a statue like this fisherman, the crippled man answered as he handed Pete a beautifully carved fisherman statue. But. But that old, dirty piece of driftwood looks worthless. How could anything this beautiful come from. From junk?
Well, it takes time, work and skill. I choose just the right piece of wood, I carve it carefully I sand it and then I polish it. And it looks like this when all the work is finished.
Just as a potter can mold a block of clay and as a craftsman can take a piece of driftwood and carve something useful and valuable and beautiful out of it, so God, who is our master creator, can take Pete and each one of us, for that matter, and make us into someone beautiful and valuable to himself. Even though we are poor, sinful and seemingly worthless. God molds and makes the lives of his children to be like Jesus.
How about you? Are you willing to let God make something good and useful of your life? Just put yourself in his hands and he'll do something wonderful with you, too.
Hey, here's a good verse to remember. It comes from Isaiah 64 eight. O lord, we are the clay and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand. Here's a key for you to remember today. Let God mold you. Time's up for today's Keys for Kids. I'm Uncle Charlie, and Keys for Kids is a presentation of the children's bible hour. Hey, why not invite a friend to listen to Keys for Kids along with you?