Bible Blog Post Monday February 4th

God's Pottery Shelf  (Matthew 23:23-28)

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."  Matthew 23:25-26

For those that know me or have been to my home you should know that I love to collect handmade, one of a kind pieces of pottery.  I love to collect all different shapes, sizes, colors, and uses.  The reason I started to collect pottery is because of Isaiah 64:8  "Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (as well as Romans 9:20-21).  My collection reminds me of how God has handmade each and everyone of us as unique and special and with a purpose.  I think this is why Matthew 23:23-28 (especially 25-26) stood out to me in today's reading.  Christ likened people to everyday pottery to make a point. 

This weekend I actually spent some time cleaning my pottery, which takes more time than I like.  My initial thought was just to take a damp cloth and wipe off the outside of each piece as that is what everyone sees.  Nobody every really gets up close and personal with any of my pieces so that is all that would really matter, right?  No, I knew that each piece was special and needed a good cleaning both inside and out.  Dust and dirt that is left to sit inside a piece gets thick and matted and becomes harder to clean.  I have acquired some nice pieces at tags sales that were made by someone's talented child back in 1976 and had acquired years of dust on the inside that took a lot of work to clean.  So, I am well aware of the need to clean the whole piece regularly.  As I cleaned my pottery this weekend some of my pieces were easy to clean and only needed to be wiped with a damp cloth. There was one piece, it was one of my tag sale finds, that I noticed held onto the dust a bit more than others.  It had some small grooves inside that seemed to trap the dust and dirt a bit more.  I walked it over to my sink plunged the whole cup into warm soapy water and scrubbed.  It emerged from the water and I dried it off and looked and not only was the inside now clean but the outside was as well.  It took a bit more work but it was worth the time and effort.  Now that piece is not only beautifully displayed outwardly but can be used for what it was made for without issue.

Like my tag sale piece of pottery we all have things on the inside of us that the Lord sees and knows keeps us from reaching our full potential, our full purpose.  Things that aren't so easy to just wipe away.  Sometimes it seems easier to just keep up the appearance, to keep the outside looking shiny and bright.  We go to church, attend bible studies, quote verses, prayer, serve on committees or help in different areas at church.  But what if we let people get close?  What if we lifted the lid and let people see what was happening on the inside?  Would they see a vessel that matched the outside?  Would they see cobwebs of envy, jealousy or comparison? Are there visible dusty layers of hurt that give way to anger and lead to unforgiveness which result in bitterness that would be seen?  Maybe there is a thick grime of pride, selfishness, or arrogance that we don't even want to look at?  Would there be crevices that lacked mercy and harbored judgment toward others?  Would we see a vessel holding a critical spirit rather than a gracious one?  Could there be smudges of uncertainty, doubt, fear, insecurity, anxiety, or shame that we think if others saw they would deem us unfit or unworthy to continue to be used in the way we appear on the outside?  Perhaps revealed would be see signs of wear that reveal a heart that no longer wants to keep up the appearances but doesn't know how or is afraid to makes itself known.

The good news is that God see it all.  That is good news because He sees it all and loves us just the same.  We aren't left to try and "clean up" the inside by ourselves.  God is willing, wanting and able to take you to sink and help you to wash away any layers of dirt and grime that you were never meant to hold onto.  God renews and restores.  That is why Christ came and died on the cross, to wash us clean of all (not some but all) the filth and sin and struggle that can and tries to attach itself to us.  That really is good news.  But we need to be willing to stop and ask the Lord to lift the lid, look inside with us, and reveal to us what we are holding onto, or what is holding onto us, that is not allowing us to live and serve and love the way He created us to.  Then we need to ask Him to help us remove these things and restore us so that we don't just look the part but we can be fully used by God however he sees fit.  None of us are beyond repair or cleaning.  Let us remember that for ourselves and for others.  If others do lift the lid of their hearts for us to see lets make sure not to judge, turn up our noses, or talk about it with others.  Let us be vessels that can be used by the Lord to help encourage, build up and help aide in restoring those God puts in our lives.  Remember the words of Isaiah 64 "Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."

There is so much to this short little passage and I really could only scratch the surface in this blog.  But if anyone has questions, needs clarification, or wants to start to lift the lid on their lives and let someone in, I am here.  I am willing to try and answer or clarify any question you may have.  Even more so if you are willing to lift the lid of your life I am willing to join you there with empathy, love, grace and a desire to see each of us live as vessels created, cleansed and maintained by the Lord's grace and love.  I am a Facebook message, email, phone call or text away.  You can even stop by the house if you'd like, my door is open.  Either way, let us strive to be the vessels God created us to be both inside and then out.