Brokeness
Jer. 18, 19:1-10
Psalm 51:17
God likes broken things. He broke the bread. He broke tradition. He broke the curse of the evil one. He was broken for our transgressions. In a day when shiny, flashy, proud arrogant people get the Oscars, headline news and center stage in our churches, God's Word is clear that our God delights in humility and individuals who call no attention to themselves. Those who quietly serve the Lord and point to Jesus as the one who is to get all the glory are the broken ones. Individuals, and churches that are calling attention to themselves face suffering, rejection and eventually death of some kind. Hopefully not eternal death, but that is certainly a possibility unless they repent. Throughout scripture God tells us that our flesh must die or it will kill us eventually. Psalm 51:17 says," the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart." The concept of brokenness is throughout scripture yet it is strange and distasteful to our understanding, especially to those who are gifted and have drive and ambition. All of this has to be yielded to His plan and Lordship, which cuts across the grain of our personality.
In Jeremiah 18 we read about the prophet being led to the potters house. The craftsman is molding a pot on the wheel forming it as he sees best. When the potter finds a piece of clay that is marred or has a hard un-shapeable place in it he discards it because he does not see that it will be pliable and moldable to his liking. The prophet is given the analogy that we are like the clay and God is the potter who works with us until we say "no". Until there is a hard un-shapeable part in us, forcing Him to throw us aside. We react with chagrin, finding it difficult to understand God's love in this illustration. Our loving heavenly Father is molding us and making us into the image of His son Jesus (Romans 8:29). He uses sandpaper on some, chisels on others, and has to throw some of us on the shelf because of our unwillingness to conform to His desires. He shows us this in our lives throughour spouses, our children, friends and finances, work, circumstances and His Word.
In Jeremiah 19, we see another startling picture at the potter's house. The prophet is told to buy a pot from the potter, only to smash it into pieces which symbolizes what God does to our life and our plans. "Listen I am going to bring disaster on this city (your life) and the villages (all around you) because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words (Jeremiah 19:11)." Did you see it? Unless we comply with His commands we face destruction. This is the call to brokenness. The wise man chooses brokenness, and repents at the Word. The foolish man does not hear, or listen and faces a loving God's only option to crush him into pieces. In all that we know about the Word, God wins. He is absolute Lord and will not share His glory with another. It is in brokenness that God is able to use us and make us into a reflection of Himself for His glory.
John 12:24
"Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed but if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life in this world will loose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternity."Matthew 21:44
"He who falls on the stone will be broken into pieces, but he on whom it falls will be ground into pieces."This verse tells us that some of the result is up to our attitude of repentance. Will you choose to be broken or crushed?
