IN THE POTTER'S HAND

"The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." Jeremiah 18:1-4

As seems good to the potter, that vessel makes the Lord of each of us. We can have dreams, plans, a self-image, you can make efforts to change, to improve your self-image, as some teach. Even if we've heard the clear call of God, we may not like what God has called us to and may wish someone else's calling, but:

"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" Romans 9:21

You may say, if so, what -- to stay in miserable live in miserable condition? What if those dreams and plans God has put them in us? What, not to yearn for the higher gifts and callings? If God gave us free will, why not to honor it? How come - "He hath  mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth?"

"Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus?" Romans 9:19-20

Does God contradict Himself? Does He restricts us? Is He mocking us? Doес God force His Will upon us?
To what extent do we have the freedom and to what extent  are we bound by God's predestination ? What to be -- Calvinists or Arminians ?

Oh, how do we complicate our lives by ignorance ...

All the complex and thorny issues that dealt minds of hundreds of theologians with, issues about which were written thousands of pages, to all of them the simple answer is .. Soft clay .

The problem is that we look at ourselves from earthly, carnal, soul-minded, selfish point of view. Weary and burdened, enslaved in poverty or wealth, concern with unemployment or excessive busyness, the problem is the same - the devil poke us in the eye any care issues, wishes, temptations, objects, relationships, conflicts -- for the sole purpose not to look to God.

No, I do not mean that you have to become a disembodied ghosts with halos overhead and to behave as if we live  not in the material world, as if we have no needs, no families and obligations.

I mean to change the paradigm .

Here I have to pay little attention to the definition of " paradigm ."
"The word paradigm is of Greek origin. At first it was a scientific term now used to describe a model, theory, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. In a broader sense, the paradigm is the way we "see the world" -- not in the sense of visual perception, but in the sense of perception, understanding and interpretation . " (Stephen Covey )
Paradigm is like a map of a place. Imagine that you hold in your hands a map, but it is wrong , never mind  it is written that it is the place where we want to go. Even we follow the instructions and even sometimes we think that we have reached a certain point we want, we will never find ourselves in the place where we really want to go because we have the wrong map...
We could try to change our behavior , our attitude , our adjustment... but we will not reach to our goal. Someone could try hard to convince us that this is the right map, you just have not to give up, not to stop believing,  not to stop  imagining, not to stop making positive confessions, not to dare to make negative confessions, not to despair, the victory is over there, right around the corner, that we will win !
We will win what? In fact, will we go where our destination is?
With the wrong map -- never! Not all roads lead to Rome. With the wrong paradigm -- never !

The right paradigm is a map from God's viewpoint .
A- ha! Now we finally know what was meant when Jesus told us to want to knock and to seek. Even Jesus himself did nothing else but what he saw the Father do. He did not say anything but what he heard the Father say.

If only for a moment we could receive the priceless grace to look from God's perspective, suddenly, everything will fall into place, confusion, wandering will stop, suddenly we will be ashamed of the things we longed for, what we were excited about and we would understand what is the most precious thing that's worth to lose everything for :

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ"  Philipians 3:8

To know Him - that is eternal life. To know Him is to trust Him for everything. To know Him, so to give ourselves, as soft clay in His hands, because we know that there is no more perfect form than that which He gives to us.

To acquire Him is to cloth ourselves with Him:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

It is like we are in the same house in the same family, we have the same job, we are in the same church, but they look very different if they were arranged in a completely different way, everything is completely opposite to what it was until now...
Wait a minute, not opposite, all is as it should be. Previously it was vice versa. As we if we have lived in a world far behind a blurred mirror that reflects the reality vice versa and obscure.


Do not go back there again, there is no time...