Hammer on Anvil '

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:21)

In this chapter of Romans, Paul anguishes that the  Jewish people are enemies of the gospel -- so much so that he wishes himself cursed and cut off from Christ for their sake (vs. 3).

He mentions Pharaoh, and how God hardened his heart "that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (vs. 17). The Jews could then argue, as they were very adept at doing, that they are not to blame because "who can resist God's will?" (vs. 19).

Paul knew his audience. He knew how prideful the Jews were, and how set on making their own path to salvation. Not content to embrace the gospel of grace, they continued to insist that they were inherently better simply because they were Jews.

How often, I wonder, do we as Christians do the same thing? Oh yes, we say we are saved by the blood of Jesus, and in that way may be a step ahead of the Jews. But do we harbor that same stubborn pride in our hearts, that smugness that makes us think we are better than others simply because we are Christians? I know I have.

Though we bear the name of Christ, we allow society to dictate our identity and our sense of importance. Those who hold masters or doctorate degrees may deem themselves somehow a cut above those who only have bachelors degrees or have never attended college. Senior pastors may bristle at the thought of visiting someone in the hospital because that is the job of one of their elders or deacons. People with money may be esteemed more highly in the local church, because of what their money can DO for the congregation.

I love verse 21 because it handily puts all this nonsense in the proper perspective. Think about pottery for just a minute. A "noble" piece of pottery may be a beautiful vase on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. A "common" piece of pottery would be...hmmm...perhaps a chamber pot? You know, those handy little vessels that people had to use before we had the luxury of flush toilets?

See how quickly we categorize things as noble or common, beautiful or...well...unmentionable? Paul knows the hearts of men, and turns the focus on the Creator rather than the creation. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, educated or uneducated, wealthy or indigent -- we were all created by God and in His image. Our focus should not be on what we can do or how much money we can make, but on submitting ourselves daily to God, and asking Him to fulfill His purposes in and through us.

Am I willing to be a chamber pot for the sake of the gospel? Or do I have delusions of grandeur, and prefer to be recognized and praised by men? I confess to the latter. But as I read Romans 9 in my devotions last week, the thought of being a chamber pot started to become more appealing. Why should I think that I am "above" being a certain thing for my Savior's sake? He emptied himself and became nothing for me, and I would like to do the same for Him.

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest (Luke 9:46).


How clueless can you get?!? Jesus had just told the disciples that whoever wanted to follow Him must deny self and take up their cross. Then, in the verse immediately before this one, Jesus predicted His own death for the second time.

This doesn't exactly sound like a prime time to begin jockeying for position and prestige, does it? Oblivious to Jesus and the gravity of what He had been telling them, they totally missed the point.

But don't we all do the same thing? We get prideful about so many things:

• our talents
• our accomplishments
• our jobs
• our education
• our possessions
• our families

We may jockey for position even in spiritual matters, boasting that our spiritual gift is somehow superior (Pentecostals and charismatics seem particularly adept at this), or that the way we worship is how it should be done. We even get prideful about our denominational doctrines, thinking that if people don't believe like us, they are somehow missing an essential part of Christianity. We squabble over what kind of music to play in church, and how loud it should be. We argue about what curriculum should be used in our kids' programs. Tragically, churches have actually split over what color the carpet should be!

What is missing here is humility. We conveniently lose sight of the fact that we are supposed to deny ourselves and that, in God's economy, the LEAST will be the greatest. Consider these Scriptures:

• Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each others' faults because of your love (Ephesians 4:2).
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves (Philippians 2:3).
• Serve each other in humility, for "God opposes the proud but favors the humble" (1 Peter 5:5).
• Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).

Humility and gentleness go a long way in promoting unity in the Body of Christ. Ask God to examine your heart this week and reveal where you might be lacking in this area.

"For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow"
(Ecclesiastes 2:18).

As I read in Ecclesiastes last week, this verse really hit home. The study notes in my Bible confirmed that it means precisely what it says:

Wisdom is a mixed blessing: to gain wisdom and understanding is to gain a clearer view into the tragedies of life in a world marred by sin.

When you're a child, you want to at least dream that the world is a beautiful place. Even if you were raised in a less-than-ideal family situation, you dream of the day when you can get away and THEN the world will be beautiful.

Yes, God has made extraordinarily wonderful creations in this world we live in, and their beauty daily compels me to thank Him and give Him praise. But this world is marred by sin. I have seen and heard far more in my lifetime than I ever thought I would, and it would be easy to be hardened and cynical and devoid of hope -- were it not for Jesus.

Jesus saw the ugliness of this world from a much more horrific standpoint than any of us ever will. And the fact that He was sinless must have made the ugliness all the more abhorrent. Because of the wickedness in my own heart, I can understand and sympathize with sinfulness. But our precious Savior never sinned -- in thought, word or deed.

Philippians 2:6 tells us that though He was in very nature God, Jesus did not use that position to His own advantage. Rather, He emptied himself and took the form of a servant. Imagine that. One so holy that His eyes are like fire -- One so pure that our eyes cannot even behold His glory -- became a servant to people like us. He left His home in heaven to walk this earth, among people who expressed their gratitude by nailing Him to a cross.

But see, that's where our hope lies. Had Jesus called for legions of angels to come to His rescue, we
would all be doomed to spend eternity outside of His presence. Had He demanded respect from people because of who He was, God's stupendous plan of redemption would never have been carried out. Instead, He humbled himself and submitted to His Father's will.

When I am tempted to despair because of the wickedness in the world, I remember these words of Oswald Chambers:

Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person.

If someone as holy as Jesus was never suspicious or bitter, then surely we who are sinful can follow in His footsteps. Think about the people in your sphere of influence today. Are there some you have deemed hopeless causes? Before you utter the damning words, "He'll never change," think about the mire from which Jesus reached down and redeemed you. Pray for the "impossible people" to be convicted of their need for a Savior.

Back to today's Scripture. Yes, much wisdom brings much vexation, and increased knowledge brings increased sorrow. But allow God to use that sorrow to break your heart. Allow Him to drive you to intercede for the lost, and for your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is more comfortable to not think about the ugliness in the world, but we are called to be redeemers of life. Let's remove the blinders and be light and salt to those around us.

Many of you know that I am now working as a flight instructor as I build flight hours in order to get hired by an airline.  What you may not know is that my students are Chinese.  China has explosive growth in the airline industry, but their general aviation infrastructure (i.e. smaller airports and smaller airplanes) is virtually non-existent.  Since student pilots need to learn to fly in small planes before they move onto the larger planes, America is a better training environment for them.