JEREMIAH 18:1-4
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house,
and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he
was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of
the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor on television, Marghanita Laski, a
well-known secular humanist and novelist, said, “What I envy most about you Christians is your
forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me.”
Jeremiah pointed God’s people toward this forgiveness as he shared his experience at the potter’s
house. While watching the craftsman at his work, he noticed that the vessel became marred. Yet the
potter didn’t throw away the clay. Instead, he took the flawed material and formed a different
container.
The same was true for Israel. God’s original intent for His people was severely marred by their sin, yet
He still had plans for them. When forgiven, they could still serve Him, but in a different way.Sin
always causes havoc in people’s lives, including Christians. Sometimes the damage is so extensive
that God cannot use those individuals as He originally desired, but He doesn’t discard them.
When they turn to Him for forgiveness, He can take those misshapen lumps and mold them into
vessels for His use…different, perhaps, from what would have been His perfect will, yet useful
nevertheless. God is the God of a second chance.
If you are in this condition, marred from the sin that’s been in your life, don’t despair. Look to God for
forgiveness and a second chance. He can remold your life so you can still serve Him as a vessel of His
choosing.
THE GOD WHO MADE US ALSO CAN REMAKE US.
WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in