Can God Use My Life?
Jer. 18:1-6

Jeremiah was one of God’s greatest prophets, but in his ministry he found things difficult and many times his efforts were thwarted.  I am sure that at times he may have wondered if God could really use his life.  And yet, there are many similarities in Jeremiah’s life to that of our Savior:  neither were married, both were considered to be traitors by their countrymen, both wept over the city of Jerusalem, both were falsely arrested, and both were men of great compassion. 

During Jeremiah’s ministry, he received many instructions from God; and in the  verses above, we read that Jeremiah was told by God to go down to the potter’s house, and “there I will cause thee to hear my Word.”  The object lesson of this incident is a striking illustration of the power of God to mold and remake.

I believe there are four great lessons we can learn from this story:

1.  The Potter (verse 3)

     A.     Our potter is God and just as the potter in this story had a plan for
           every piece of pottery, God has a plan for the lives of all his
           children.  What is that plan?

             1.  God’s plan for us is called salvation (John 3:16). 

        2.  After a person presents himself to God for salvation, the next
             step is to surrender his life to be used of God (Rom. 9:20-21).

2. The Clay (verse 4)

    A. The clay is of no great value alone.  Its only value comes as the
         potter molds it into something useful.

    B.     The clay has no power to mold itself.  It is strange the way that
         God often uses others to help mold us; i.e., preachers, teachers,
         friends, and even those with whom we do not get along.

3.  The marring of the vessel (verse 4)

 A.  We are the vessels (2 Corth. 4:7). 

      B.  We have been marred by sin (Jer. 17:9).  

      C.  All vessels are subject to temptation (1 Corth. 10:13).

        D.  All vessels will one day be examined by the potter (Heb. 9:27).

           E.     Even though the vessel was marred, it was still in the hand of
                 the potter. 

    1.      Even though we are marred by sin, we are still in God’s
     hand.  I sure am glad of that!  

        F.     Judah was marred because of rebellion (Jer. 18:11-12).
         Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Sam. 15:23).  We would
         be so much better off if we would learn not to be rebellious in
         our daily walk with the Lord.  

            G.  We probably would have tossed the vessel aside after the
                  marring, but I sure am thankful that the potter had a different
                  plan for the vessel.  Thank God that we serve the God of the
                  second chance!!

4.  The Furnace:  

A.    No vessel of pottery is of any use until it passes through the furnace of fire.  The heat of the fire makes it fit to be used.  

     B. All through the Word of God, we see many examples of this.  The three Hebrew children felt the heat of the fire.  Job knew first hand of the trials and troubles that come to every vessel that God uses.  Daniel in the den of lions knew this great truth also, and I am sure that each of us could testify to the marvelous grace of God that has come our way from time to time.

Can God use your life?  God can use anyone who is willing to surrender to Him and be available.  

In closing, I hope that this message has been one of encouragement.  Dr. Bob Jones made this very wise statement, "Your best ability is your availability."  Can God use your life? The answer is only as you are willing to place it (your life) in the hand of the potter.   

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