He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
Isaiah 33:6 NIV
”But this beautiful treasure is contained in us
-cracked pots made of earth and clay-
so that the transcendent character of this power
will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.”
-cracked pots made of earth and clay-
so that the transcendent character of this power
will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 Voice
“Be perfect...” (Matthew 5:48) That’s pretty much the resounding verse that early in life put me on the trajectory that caused collateral damage to those I loved the most.
I felt if I ever admitted I wasn’t perfect, I would be letting God down. (Like He didn’t already know?) If I didn’t do everything, and I mean everything, expected of me, then I felt I was letting everyone else down.
Because I knew I wasn’t perfect, I didn’t have to wait for others to point it out, I was already on the job with self condemnation.
I don’t know if I deserve any points for lasting as long as I did in at least trying to be perfect. (But a trophy would be nice.)
I couldn’t continue operating at such a high octane speed without someday not making the curve. My crash was resplendent, of course. It would’ve been gracious if the fireball that was me wasn’t publicly displayed. My preference to have my melt-down as a flicker of a flame in the privacy of my home was superseded by the fact that my ‘hidden’ imperfections weren’t really so secret.
How could God use me now that my fault lines were showing? In His mercy He allowed me to find this story:
A water bearer in India.... had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its
failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick
these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." Author Unknown
After a repeated reading of this story, (I don’t always get things the first time.) it occurred to me that the water bearer did not 'fix' the leaky pot. He used the 'fault' to nourish the flowers he planted after he noticed the pot's crack. I realized that deep down I felt that all my cracks (faults) had to be 'fixed' before I could be of any use for My Father's House. Wisdom should be used to decipher which faults should be confessed and no longer allowed to recur, ("To err is human, but when the eraser wears out ahead of the pencil, you're overdoing it.") and those that can be used 'on purpose' by God.
Jesus invites us to come as we are, but we should leave His presence as He IS! (Love is made perfect in us when we are not ashamed as we stand before Him on the day He judges, because we live like Jesus here in this world. 1 John 4:17)
What about the ‘perfect’ verse that caused all the out of whack living in the first place? It seems the background Greek has a meaning of “mature, going through the necessary stages to reach the end-goal, i.e. developed into a consummating completion by fulfilling the necessary process (spiritual journey). Part of the root word means “reaching the end (aim). Think of an old pirate’s telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full-strength (capacity effectiveness).”
In my continuing recovery time, I’ve discovered Scriptures that I had assumed I knew the gist of what GOD was saying. When I started questioning the way things have always been, I realized that some people don’t want anyone messing with ‘the way they’ve always believed.’
“These people think they can draw near to Me by saying the right things, by honoring Me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Me. Their worship of Me consists of man-made traditions learned by rote; it is a meaningless sham.” Isaiah 29:13 voice
Did Timothy see any of our faces when he saw “a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear.”? 2 Timothy 4:3 Voice
I assumed that true teaching is still available, albeit hard to find. Sometimes ‘truth’ doesn’t ‘sell’ Or could we be repeating the time Amos prophesied? "The time is surely coming," says the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine on the land--not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Amos 8:11 NLT
When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream about a famine coming, he was put in charge to store up the food. On a farm, there are silos. In a kitchen, we all recognize a pantry as a place for storing extra provisions. I like to think of Bible verses as stored blessings to be rationed out at the proper time. But “Who is the wise and loyal servant that the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time? When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed.” Matthew24-45-46 NCV
For over 30 years, things of the Spirit have been stewing in this (ME) cracked pot. Like the time when I was seven and walked in on the exploding forgotten pressure cooker filled with potatoes, I can relate to Jeremiah when he said, “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (20:9 NIV)
“So tell them, if they will clean up their lives and purify themselves from dishonorable teachings that lead people astray, then they can become honorable vessels, consecrated and useful to the Master, made ready for every good work He has in store.” 2 Timothy 2:21 Voice
DISCLAIMER: “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” Philippians 3:12 MSG
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