Sanctification

So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Then the word of the LORD came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. Jeremiah 18:3-6, NIV

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekial 36:25-27, NIV

Recently, I was cooking a large pot-full of Jambalaya (a family favorite). I added the rice to the dish and walked away from the range without reducing the temperature of the heating element upon which the pot sat. I realized my mistake 20 minutes later when the kitchen filled with smoke.

On the bottom of the pot was a thick layer of black, burned-on, rice. Not a pretty sight.  I knew the cleaning of this black mess off the bottom of the pot would not be easy; in fact, I knew it would be an arduous task involving a lot of muscle and patience. There would be soaking, scrubbing, soaking, scrubbing…over and over again until all the ugly black crust was completely eliminated.

I immediately sat about the task at hand and after a great deal of time and effort the metamorphosis was complete. The black residue was gone and the pot was like new and ready for its next assignment.

This process reminds me of what God does for us. Our hearts and lives are black with sin yet He pursues us, drawing us to Him. Once we ask Christ into our hearts, the process of being made into Christ’s likeness begins. This is the process of sanctification and it continues as long as we remain in our fleshly bodies.

The Holy Spirit resides within us helping us defeat sin—leading us, teaching us to become more and more like Jesus. The salvation experience is a one-time event, but sanctification is a life-long process. It is the process of refinement; the removing of the grunge that doesn’t belong in our lives and the extinguishing of the dirt and filth that hinders us from becoming that which God wants us to be. It is the process of yielding oneself to the Potter who fashions us, the clay, into the image and character of Christ.

This process which fits us for heaven is a long, difficult, and tedious process but the rewards are great…in fact, they are out of this world!

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Romans 6:22, NIV

God Bless!