You Are Formed By God
Who changes how you see your identity?
Verse of the Day
‘And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.’
Today’s Devotional
If I have learned anything about my identity in the last few weeks, it is that my thoughts about myself do not align completely with what God has been saying to me, over me, and about me in His Word.
I would like to change that. I would like to submit myself to the authority of God to align my thoughts about myself with who God has said that I already am.
Just like yesterday, when we discussed that we must be shaped by God’s constantly moving wind in our lives, our job is submitting ourselves to the Potter. A lump of clay may not have a choice about being put on the pottery wheel and shaped into something more beautiful and useful than a lump of clay. But you and I have a choice. God designed us with free will.
I may not be able to mold myself into something new, but I can choose to make myself available for God to shape me. I heard a sermon a few weeks ago that taught me about this exact topic. God uses certain tools to mold me as the Potter. He uses:
- The Word of God
- The Spirit of God
- The people of God
- The circumstances of life.
If we think about a potter who is shaping clay, he might use his hands or any number of tools to bring about the desired object he is making. But what does he do with his hands or the tools?
He applies pressure.
Being molded and shaped by our Potter isn’t going to always be a pleasant process. It is going to be uncomfortable. It is going to feel like pressure. But how else can He mold us into who He created us to be? How else can He remove defects and impurities without applying pressure?
Do you see, then, where the choice comes in?
Am I reading the Word? Am I inviting the Spirit to guide, teach, and correct me? Am I in healthy, constructive relationships with other believers? Do I allow the circumstances of life defeat me, make me bitter, drive me into self pity, or drive me into the Father’s arms?
We have choices in this process of aligning ourselves with our God-given identity. Who we are has already been decided. Aligning myself with that truth involves daily, ongoing choices to submit to the Potter.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How comfortable are you with fully submitting to God to shape your belief about your identity?
How are you engaging with the Word of God?
How willing are you to invite the Holy Spirit to be an active guide in your life?
What relationships with other believers do you need to deepen? What can you do about that today?
How can you see God using life’s circumstances to shape you?
How can you fully submit to God today?