
A New Beginning
Submitted by Steve Clark
July 31, 2025
Jer 18:6 ...Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand….
Many people need new beginnings, and we serve a God of second chances!
Sometimes, we wish we could go back and start over again. It may be a situation of our own making, like saying something we shouldn’t have, or making a different choice. In most cases, it is impossible to go back and change things. Whatever issue you may be having, God is The God that specializes in new beginnings!
That happened with Jeremiah, and God is teaching him a valuable lesson. Jeremiah was very discouraged and about to give up on his people, Israel.
But God gave him an object lesson. He sent Jeremiah to a potter who was intently shaping a vessel. Just as the vessel seemed to be taking shape, something unexpected happened—the vessel was marred! Jeremiah probably thought that the clay was worthless now and would be thrown away. But it wasn’t. The potter just made a ball again, put it back on the wheel, and started shaping it again.
This is the plan that God has for you. God is the Divine Potter in your live to fulfill His perfect plan and purpose. He knows what you can accomplish, but you may need some more shaping first.
If you are going through a time of discouragement or disappointment, maybe it’s because you are not shaped up yet. Have you yielded to the pressure of the Master’s hands? If this is you today, there’s a message of hope and assurance for you! God wants to shape you to His design and plan!
God is telling us that when our plans, hopes, and dreams of life don’t turn out like we had hoped, He can remake us! It all starts by trusting the Master, and the place of starting again is right before you. God will provide the door for you to walk through—you just have to walk through it, like Paul did in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Lastly, God honors those that want to start again. He’s in the transformation business. What is keeping you from being fully useful of God today?
Reflection—God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.