THE GREAT POTTER

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

THE GREAT POTTER

READ:  Jeremiah 18:1-6

As the clay is in the potters’ hands, so are you

in my hand.  Jeremiah 18:6

One definition of the word attitude is “the angle of approach” that an aircraft takes when landing.  Author Chris Spicer writes:  “Attitudes are to life as the angle of approach is to flying.”  He adds, “Attitude is the way we choose to think about things, attitudes will cause us to react and behave in a certain way.”  He also says that attitudes are not inborn or accidental.  They are learned and absorbed reactions; therefore they can be changed.

During my thirties, the Lord began convicting me of my wrong thinking toward myself, others, and life-negative, self-pitying, and bitter thinking;  With the help of God’s Word, I recognized my need for change in three main areas:  my attitudes, actions, and reactions.  But I feared I couldn’t change.  One day I read in Jeremiah 18 how the potter refashioned some marred clay (which is what I felt like) into a different vessel, as it pleased the potter.  What I couldn’t do, my great Potter could!  I only needed to be cooperative clay.

Today this vessel is far from finished.  But as I put myself in the Potter’s hands, He keeps working on me and shaping my attitudes and actions.  I call them Christ-attitudes, Christ-actions, and Christ-reactions.

The great Potter can do the same for you.    JY

A change in the heart brings a change in behavior.

SURROUNDED BY GOD

Surrounded by God

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and for evermore.

Psalm 125:2

READ PSALM 125:1–5

In a busy airport, a young mother struggled alone. Her toddler was in full tantrum mode—screaming, kicking, and refusing to board their plane. 

Overwhelmed and heavily pregnant, the burdened young mother finally gave up, sinking to the floor in frustration, covering her face, and starting to sob.

Suddenly six or seven women travelers, all strangers, formed a circle around the young mother and her child—sharing snacks, water, gentle hugs, and even a nursery song. Their loving circle calmed the mother and child, who then boarded their plane.

 The other women returned to their seats, not needing to discuss what they had done, but knowing their support had strengthened a young mother exactly when she needed it.

This illustrates a beautiful truth from Psalm 125. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem,” says verse 2, “so the Lord surrounds his people.” The image reminds us how the bustling city of Jerusalem is, indeed, flanked by surrounding hills—among them the Mount of Olives, Mount Zion, and Mount Moriah.

In this same way, God surrounds His people—supporting and standing guard over our souls “both now and for evermore.” Thus, on tough days, look up, “unto the hills,” as the psalmist puts it (Psalm 121:1 kjv). God awaits with strong help, steady hope, and everlasting love.

By Patricia Raybon

REFLECT & PRAY

Lord, when we face tough days, surround our souls with Your comforting love.

How have you sensed the Lord surrounding you with His love? Who can you share His love with today?

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INSIGHT

The psalms are often gritty reflections of the life of the writer, songs where people express themselves to God and to each other in all the circumstances of life—good, bad, happy, sad, frustrating, grieving, and every other emotion we experience. They are honest reflections on the difficulty of life in this world. Today’s psalm is no different. One of the “Songs of Ascent” (songs sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for one of three annual festivals), this psalm contains a surprising statement. While there’s often a distinction made between the righteous and the wicked, verse 3 warns us that even the righteous have the potential to do evil. J.R. Hudberg

ALWAYS FOR US

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

ALWAYS FOR US

READ:  Ruth 1

If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

Naomi, her husband, and their two sons left Israel and moved to Moab because of a famine (Ruth 1:1-2).  One son married Ruth, the other married Orpah.  Eventually Naomi’s husband and sons died (vv. 3, 5), so she decided to return to Israel.  But she felt that her daughters-in-law would be better off staying in Moab (vv. 6-13).  She tried to dissuade them from going with her by saying, “No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” (v. 13).

Was Naomi right in her thinking about God?  Perhaps the family had displayed a lack of faith by moving to pagan Moab, but God certainly was not against her.  He proved this by wonderfully providing for her and Ruth after they retuned to Israel.  (Read the rest of the book-it’s short.)

You may be unemployed, terminally ill, have a disabled child, or care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.  God hasn’t promised to keep us from such problems. But He has proven that He is always “for us” as Christians by what He did through Jesus (Romans 5:8-9).  Nothing, not even death, can separate us from His love (8:35-39).

The Lord is never “against us,” not even when He chastens us (Hebrews 12:5-6).  He is always for us!   HVL

Our God is always there for us-

Receiving every prayer,

Delighting in our words of praise,

Responding with His care. -Sper

The One who died to save you will never be against you.

REMEMBERING MY FATHER

Remembering My Father

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.

Colossians 3:23

READ JOB 38:1–11

When I remember my dad, I picture him best outdoors hammering or gardening or downstairs working in his cluttered workroom, stuffed with fascinating tools and gadgets. His hands were always busy at a task or project—sometimes building (a garage or a deck or a birdhouse), sometimes locksmithing, and sometimes designing jewelry and stained-glass art.

Remembering my dad prompts me to think of my heavenly Father and Creator, who has always been busy at work. In the beginning, “[God] laid the earth’s foundations . . . [and] marked off its dimensions . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:4-7). Everything He created was a work of art, a masterpiece. He designed a breathtakingly beautiful world and pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

That includes you and me. God designed us in intimate and intricate detail (Psalm 139:13-16); and He entrusted us with and instilled in us (His image bearers) the goal and desire to work, which includes ruling and caring for the Earth and its creatures (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15). No matter the work we do—in our job or in our leisure—God empowers and gives us what we need to work wholeheartedly for Him.

In everything we do, may we do it to please Him.

By Alyson Kieda

REFLECT & PRAY

Dear God, thank You for equipping us to do the work You’ve called us to do.

What has God worked out in your life recently? How does it change your view of even mundane tasks to see them as opportunities to serve and honor Him?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

Throughout the Old Testament, the whirlwind (or storm) is connected to God’s powerful presence (2 Kings 2:1-11; Psalm 77:18; Nahum 1:3; Ezekiel 1:4; Jeremiah 4:13). In Job 38:1, God dramatically speaks out of a whirlwind (nlt, esv) and then gives two speeches, each followed by a brief answer from Job. In His first discourse, God asks Job if he knows how the vast creation and its myriad creatures came to be and how they are governed and cared for (38:1-40:2). Job, now clearly aware of his ignorance, pledges to be silent and covers his mouth (40:3-5). Yet Job has the assurance that God has not abandoned him. The all-wise, almighty, yet inscrutable Father who created and lovingly cares for His creation heard Job’s cries and spoke to him. Alyson Kieda

NEVER ALONE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

NEVER ALONE

READ:  Hebrews 13:5-6

I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Hebrews 13:5

Robinson Crusoe, the chief character in a novel by Daniel Defoe, was shipwrecked and stranded on an uninhabited island.  Life was hard, but he found hope and comfort when he turned to the Word of God.

Crusoe said, “One morning, being very sad, I opened the Bible upon these words, ‘I will never, never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ Immediately it occurred that these words were to me; why else should they be directed in such a manner, just at the moment when I was mourning over my condition, as one forsaken of God and man?

“‘Well then,’ said I, ‘if God does not forsake me…what matters it, though the world should all forsake me…?’ From this moment I began to conclude in my mind that it was possible for me to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary condition than it was probable that I should ever have been in any other state in the world; and with this thought I was going to give thanks to God for bringing me to this place.”

Have you been forsaken by a friend, a child, a spouse?  God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).  So you too can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?” (v. 6).    DHR

Fear will leave us when we remember

that God is always with us.

FLUFF AND OTHER STUFF

Fluff and Other Stuff

They did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.

Exodus 6:9

READ EXODUS 6:1–9

Winnie the Pooh famously said, “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

I’ve learned over the years that Winnie might be on to something. When someone won’t listen to you even though following your counsel would be to their advantage, it may be that their reticence is nothing more than a small piece of fluff in their ear. Or there may be another hindrance: Some folks find it hard to listen well because they’re broken and discouraged.

Moses said he spoke to the people of Israel but they didn’t listen because their spirits were broken and their lives were hard (Exodus 6:9). The word discouragement in the Hebrew text is literally “short of breath,” the result of their bitter enslavement in Egypt. That being the case, Israel’s reluctance to listen to Moses’s instruction called for understanding and compassion, not censure.

What should we do when others won’t listen? Winnie the Pooh’s words enshrine wisdom: “Be patient.” God says, “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4); it’s willing to wait. He’s not finished with that individual. He’s working through their sorrow, our love, and our prayers. Perhaps, in His time, He’ll open their ears to hear. Just be patient.

By David H. Roper

REFLECT & PRAY

Be patient. God isn’t finished with us yet. 

What can you learn about your relationship with God from those who won’t listen to you? How do love and patience fit together in a loving relationship?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

When God first promised to give Canaan to Abraham (Genesis 12:7), He also told him his descendants would be enslaved and mistreated in Egypt for four hundred years. But God promised He would deliver them and bring them into the promised land (15:13-16). Some seven hundred years later, God tasked Moses to carry out these two promises (Exodus 3:7-10) and said He would personally fulfill them: “I will free you from being slaves” and “I will bring you to the land” (6:6, 8). K. T. Sim

ORDINARY DAYS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

ORDINARY DAYS

READ:  2 Corinthians 6:1-10

In all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God:  in much patience,

in tribulations, in needs, in distresses.  2 Corinthians 6:4

Have you ever received an annual holiday letter from an acquaintance that recounts the ordinary events of the past year?  Has anyone told you about cleaning the carpet or taking out the trash?  Not likely.

An online publication called the Journal of Mundane Behavior says these routine events fill most of our time.  The managing editor, a sociologist, says everyday life is valuable, since we spend nearly 60 percent of our lies doing things like commuting to work and shopping for groceries.

We don’t often consider the apostle Paul’s ordinary days, but he wrote, “In all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God” (2 Corinthians 6:4).  “All things” included not only harsh persecution but also “needs, sleeplessness, purity, kindness, love,’” and other everyday experiences (vv. 4-10).

Oswald Chambers said that we tend to lose our enthusiasm “when there is no vision, no uplift, but just the common round, the trivial task.  The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God” (My utmost for His Highest, March 6).

So let’s live today to the fullest for the Lord, because it’s such an important, ordinary day.           DCM

If we commit ourselves to Christ

And follow in His way,

He’ll give us life that satisfies

With purpose for each day. -Sper

To get the most out of life,

make every moment count for Christ.