As we head into summer, it’s a good time use our more relaxed times to reflect on what God has been and is doing in our lives. We’ll focus this summer on understanding God as Artist and His goals for shaping us into His masterpieces. Here is the second devotion that helps us understand what God is doing with our lives:

IN WORD – When God spoke to Jeremiah, He didn’t just give him some news to pass on to Israel. He sent him to a potter to get the full impact of a metaphor. It goes back to God’s practice of sometimes giving us pictures rather than words. If Jeremiah could see a potter at work, he would know God’s heart in a way nothing else could show him.
That’s true for us too. If our lives are to have any message at all, it isn’t going to come from an exchange of information with God. It’s going to come from experience—God at work in our lives, showing us what He is like, giving us visual aids to things like His mercy, purpose, and power. That has always been His way. He didn’t just tell Israel He was their deliverer; He actually delivered them from Egypt. He didn’t just tell them He was a holy judge; He judged them all the way to Babylon. He didn’t just give us a description of Himself; He came in the flesh as Jesus. When God wants to get a point across, He speaks the language of experience.
That should be a pattern for us as well. The world will not be changed by Christians who speak a lot of words (though the gospel in the form of words is important). Words won’t mean much unless there’s a picture to go with them: a picture of Jesus, of faith, of Christianity, of changed lives. With Jeremiah, God spoke of Himself through a visual illustration of a potter. With us, He often speaks of Himself through a visual illustration of a redeemed child of God.
IN DEED – God is speaking to your world. How could He not? He’s the living Word. The living Word is not interested in being silent; He’s interested in calling a lost world to Himself. And His voice—His illustrations, metaphors, pictures, and descriptions—are found primarily in those who have experienced Him and who worship Him. Those who have gone to the Potter’s house—who have spent time intently watching God and admiring His work—are those entrusted with this message: the Potter will take any lump of clay and make it beautiful. “Witnessing is not something we do; it is something we are.” — Anonymous (in “Worship the King” by Chris Tiegreen)

Have you ever considered that everything that you are going through is not for your sake, but for the purpose of helping others understand who God is? Many people think that being a Christian is all about God doing things for us, but in truth, following Jesus is all about being His witnesses in the world. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are useless if we are tasteless to others or have hidden His light in our lives.
Take time to read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) this week, a section a day. Reflect on God’s purpose for making us masterpieces, then ask the Holy Spirit to help us reflect God’s handiwork rather than our own. You may find greater purpose, joy, and contentment as you fulfill your God-given role. Have a blessed week! – now relocated in Taipei after ten years of ministry in Singapore, Pastor Sam