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00:00:01 Estimates vary, 00:00:03 but some say that the basic chemical elements 00:00:05 that make up the human body 00:00:08 can be valued at as little as five dollars. 00:00:11 And that’s understandable 00:00:13 when we read the description 00:00:15 of man’s creation at Genesis 2:7. 00:00:19 Please open your Bibles to this scripture. 00:00:21 And as we read it, notice the materials 00:00:25 Jehovah used when he created man. 00:00:28 Genesis 2:7 says: 00:00:30 “And Jehovah God went on 00:00:32 “to form the man out of dust from the ground 00:00:36 “and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, 00:00:39 and the man became a living person.” 00:00:43 Jehovah took basic elements from the ground 00:00:46 and formed them into a complex structure. 00:00:49 Then he added the breath of life 00:00:52 and raised the value of that dust 00:00:54 to a level that can be described only as priceless. 00:00:59 From five dollars worth of dust, 00:01:01 God created a walking, talking, 00:01:03 intelligent human made in God’s own image. 00:01:08 Since man is made from the dust of the ground, 00:01:11 it’s fitting that the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah 00:01:14 used the example of a potter molding clay 00:01:18 to illustrate our relationship with our Creator. 00:01:23 There’s so much we can say about this illustration, 00:01:26 but I’d like to focus on three lessons 00:01:28 that we can learn from the potter and the clay. 00:01:31 The first is be content. 00:01:34 Be content with how Jehovah molds and uses us. 00:01:38 Second, be patient and endure. 00:01:42 And third, cultivate an obedient heart. 00:01:46 Let’s consider the first lesson: 00:01:49 Be content with how Jehovah molds and uses us. 00:01:54 Pottery making is a highly treasured art form in Japan. 00:01:58 And depending on where the clay came from and the methods used, 00:02:02 the results can be very unique. 00:02:05 Pottery made in the town of Bizen, in western Japan, 00:02:09 is called bizen-yaki, or Bizen ware, 00:02:12 and it is noted for its earth tones 00:02:14 and the fact that it is not glazed. 00:02:17 Mashiko-yaki, made in the town of Mashiko, north of Tokyo, 00:02:22 is colorful, and it is glazed. 00:02:25 Each piece of pottery 00:02:27 from these different regions has unique characteristics. 00:02:31 But no matter what the color, consistency, 00:02:35 or origin of the clay, 00:02:37 the final result is still a piece of pottery. 00:02:41 We can say the same thing about Jehovah’s people. 00:02:44 Each one of us is custom-made. 00:02:48 It’s true that we come from 240 lands around the world. 00:02:51 Our physical features, our customs, 00:02:54 our languages, and our personalities vary greatly. 00:02:57 But we all have one thing in common: 00:03:01 We are all molded by the same Potter. 00:03:05 As Jehovah uses his Word, his holy spirit, 00:03:09 and his organization to mold us into a desirable vessel, 00:03:14 we may notice that a lump of clay on the Potter’s wheel next to us 00:03:18 is taking a different shape. 00:03:20 ‘He’s becoming a useful jar. 00:03:23 ‘She’s starting to look like a beautiful vase. 00:03:27 I’m just a plain old bowl.’ 00:03:31 Well, there’s no reason for us to be envious 00:03:34 or to become competitive. 00:03:36 Rather, we should be happy 00:03:38 that Jehovah has such a variety of loyal worshippers, 00:03:42 all using their God-given gifts 00:03:44 to bring him praise. 00:03:47 Please open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 12; 00:03:51 we’ll read verses 14, 17, and 18. 00:03:54 And here we find the illustration 00:03:56 of the human body being used 00:03:59 to show the great variety of gifts 00:04:02 that we have in the Christian congregation. 00:04:04 So there’s no reason for us to be competitive. 00:04:08 First Corinthians 12:14, 17, 18 reads: 00:04:13 “For, indeed, the body is made up 00:04:16 not of one member but of many.” 00:04:18 And verse 17: 00:04:20 “If the whole body were an eye, 00:04:22 “where would the sense of hearing be? 00:04:25 “If it were all hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 00:04:28 “But now God has arranged 00:04:30 each of the body members just as he pleased.” 00:04:36 Remember, Jehovah is the Potter; 00:04:39 we are the clay. 00:04:42 And he will use each one of us 00:04:44 in a way that utilizes our strong points 00:04:47 to help us to do his will. 00:04:50 For the second lesson, 00:04:52 please open your Bibles to James chapter 1, 00:04:56 and we’ll read verse 4. 00:04:58 This scripture talks about the need 00:05:00 for us to be patient or to endure. 00:05:04 James 1:4 says: 00:05:06 “But let endurance complete its work, 00:05:09 “so that you may be complete and sound in all respects, 00:05:13 not lacking in anything.” 00:05:16 So why do we need endurance in order to be molded? 00:05:20 Well, pottery making is a time-consuming process, 00:05:24 and that’s why the potter uses the wheel 00:05:26 to keep the clay spinning around and around, 00:05:29 repeatedly going over the same places. 00:05:32 And gradually, he gives the clay its shape. 00:05:35 In addition, even before putting the clay on the wheel, 00:05:39 the potter washes it to remove any debris, such as pebbles and sticks. 00:05:44 Then he may tramp on it with his feet 00:05:47 to make it pasty and malleable. 00:05:49 Next, he kneads it with his hands, like kneading bread dough. 00:05:53 And finally, he places it on the potter’s wheel. 00:05:58 In the same way, before Jehovah can start to mold us, 00:06:02 major preparations are needed. 00:06:05 When we start to learn the truth, 00:06:07 we have a lot of debris mixed in with the clay. 00:06:10 The debris may be personality traits, 00:06:13 some form of wrong conduct, 00:06:15 or false religious beliefs and practices. 00:06:19 Once we correct these matters, 00:06:21 we dedicate our lives to Jehovah, 00:06:23 and he puts us on the wheel to continue the molding process. 00:06:28 At that point, we all are terribly out of shape, 00:06:32 but Jehovah patiently molds us 00:06:36 into a desirable vessel. 00:06:38 Some of us have been in the molding process for decades; 00:06:41 others just started in recent years. 00:06:44 But no matter how long we’ve been spinning 00:06:47 on the Great Potter’s wheel, we must endure 00:06:50 and remain soft and pliable. 00:06:54 Cultivating an obedient heart 00:06:56 will help us to do this, 00:06:59 and that is our third lesson. 00:07:02 When Solomon became king of Israel, 00:07:05 he made one request of Jehovah. 00:07:08 It’s recorded at 1 Kings 3:9, where he prayed: 00:07:12 “So grant your servant an obedient heart 00:07:15 to judge your people, to discern between good and bad.” 00:07:21 Having “an obedient heart” means allowing Jehovah’s Word 00:07:25 to mold our desires, our affections, our emotions, 00:07:30 our feelings, our motives, our goals in life. 00:07:33 Interestingly, much pottery is hollow, 00:07:36 and that means the potter has to put his hands and fingers inside the clay 00:07:41 to give it its proper form. 00:07:43 In the same way, 00:07:45 God’s Word has to get into our hearts 00:07:48 to build us up from within. 00:07:51 Please open your Bibles to Psalm 143:10. 00:07:56 These words of David reveal a humble, teachable spirit 00:08:01 that will help us to cultivate an obedient heart. 00:08:05 Psalm 143:10 says: 00:08:08 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. 00:08:12 Your spirit is good; may it lead me on level ground.” 00:08:17 Yes, there is much we can learn 00:08:19 from the illustration of the potter and the clay. 00:08:22 First of all, it teaches us contentment 00:08:25 with the way Jehovah is molding us and our fellow workers. 00:08:29 It also shows us the need for endurance 00:08:32 and the need to cultivate an obedient heart. 00:08:36 So may we continue to submit 00:08:39 to the gentle, loving hands of our Great Potter. 00:08:43 If we do that, sometime in the future, 00:08:47 he’s going to stop spinning that wheel. 00:08:49 He’s going to look down at what used to be five dollars worth of clay 00:08:53 and say with a smile, ‘Perfect!’ 00:08:57 Well, on hearing that, 00:08:59 how happy we will be that, like Isaiah, we said: 00:09:02 “O Jehovah, . . . we are the clay, 00:09:05 and you are our Potter.”
00:00:01 Estimates vary, 00:00:03 but some say that the basic chemical elements 00:00:05 that make up the human body 00:00:08 can be valued at as little as five dollars. 00:00:11 And that’s understandable 00:00:13 when we read the description 00:00:15 of man’s creation at Genesis 2:7. 00:00:19 Please open your Bibles to this scripture. 00:00:21 And as we read it, notice the materials 00:00:25 Jehovah used when he created man. 00:00:28 Genesis 2:7 says: 00:00:30 “And Jehovah God went on 00:00:32 “to form the man out of dust from the ground 00:00:36 “and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, 00:00:39 and the man became a living person.” 00:00:43 Jehovah took basic elements from the ground 00:00:46 and formed them into a complex structure. 00:00:49 Then he added the breath of life 00:00:52 and raised the value of that dust 00:00:54 to a level that can be described only as priceless. 00:00:59 From five dollars worth of dust, 00:01:01 God created a walking, talking, 00:01:03 intelligent human made in God’s own image. 00:01:08 Since man is made from the dust of the ground, 00:01:11 it’s fitting that the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah 00:01:14 used the example of a potter molding clay 00:01:18 to illustrate our relationship with our Creator. 00:01:23 There’s so much we can say about this illustration, 00:01:26 but I’d like to focus on three lessons 00:01:28 that we can learn from the potter and the clay. 00:01:31 The first is be content. 00:01:34 Be content with how Jehovah molds and uses us. 00:01:38 Second, be patient and endure. 00:01:42 And third, cultivate an obedient heart. 00:01:46 Let’s consider the first lesson: 00:01:49 Be content with how Jehovah molds and uses us. 00:01:54 Pottery making is a highly treasured art form in Japan. 00:01:58 And depending on where the clay came from and the methods used, 00:02:02 the results can be very unique. 00:02:05 Pottery made in the town of Bizen, in western Japan, 00:02:09 is called bizen-yaki, or Bizen ware, 00:02:12 and it is noted for its earth tones 00:02:14 and the fact that it is not glazed. 00:02:17 Mashiko-yaki, made in the town of Mashiko, north of Tokyo, 00:02:22 is colorful, and it is glazed. 00:02:25 Each piece of pottery 00:02:27 from these different regions has unique characteristics. 00:02:31 But no matter what the color, consistency, 00:02:35 or origin of the clay, 00:02:37 the final result is still a piece of pottery. 00:02:41 We can say the same thing about Jehovah’s people. 00:02:44 Each one of us is custom-made. 00:02:48 It’s true that we come from 240 lands around the world. 00:02:51 Our physical features, our customs, 00:02:54 our languages, and our personalities vary greatly. 00:02:57 But we all have one thing in common: 00:03:01 We are all molded by the same Potter. 00:03:05 As Jehovah uses his Word, his holy spirit, 00:03:09 and his organization to mold us into a desirable vessel, 00:03:14 we may notice that a lump of clay on the Potter’s wheel next to us 00:03:18 is taking a different shape. 00:03:20 ‘He’s becoming a useful jar. 00:03:23 ‘She’s starting to look like a beautiful vase. 00:03:27 I’m just a plain old bowl.’ 00:03:31 Well, there’s no reason for us to be envious 00:03:34 or to become competitive. 00:03:36 Rather, we should be happy 00:03:38 that Jehovah has such a variety of loyal worshippers, 00:03:42 all using their God-given gifts 00:03:44 to bring him praise. 00:03:47 Please open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 12; 00:03:51 we’ll read verses 14, 17, and 18. 00:03:54 And here we find the illustration 00:03:56 of the human body being used 00:03:59 to show the great variety of gifts 00:04:02 that we have in the Christian congregation. 00:04:04 So there’s no reason for us to be competitive. 00:04:08 First Corinthians 12:14, 17, 18 reads: 00:04:13 “For, indeed, the body is made up 00:04:16 not of one member but of many.” 00:04:18 And verse 17: 00:04:20 “If the whole body were an eye, 00:04:22 “where would the sense of hearing be? 00:04:25 “If it were all hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 00:04:28 “But now God has arranged 00:04:30 each of the body members just as he pleased.” 00:04:36 Remember, Jehovah is the Potter; 00:04:39 we are the clay. 00:04:42 And he will use each one of us 00:04:44 in a way that utilizes our strong points 00:04:47 to help us to do his will. 00:04:50 For the second lesson, 00:04:52 please open your Bibles to James chapter 1, 00:04:56 and we’ll read verse 4. 00:04:58 This scripture talks about the need 00:05:00 for us to be patient or to endure. 00:05:04 James 1:4 says: 00:05:06 “But let endurance complete its work, 00:05:09 “so that you may be complete and sound in all respects, 00:05:13 not lacking in anything.” 00:05:16 So why do we need endurance in order to be molded? 00:05:20 Well, pottery making is a time-consuming process, 00:05:24 and that’s why the potter uses the wheel 00:05:26 to keep the clay spinning around and around, 00:05:29 repeatedly going over the same places. 00:05:32 And gradually, he gives the clay its shape. 00:05:35 In addition, even before putting the clay on the wheel, 00:05:39 the potter washes it to remove any debris, such as pebbles and sticks. 00:05:44 Then he may tramp on it with his feet 00:05:47 to make it pasty and malleable. 00:05:49 Next, he kneads it with his hands, like kneading bread dough. 00:05:53 And finally, he places it on the potter’s wheel. 00:05:58 In the same way, before Jehovah can start to mold us, 00:06:02 major preparations are needed. 00:06:05 When we start to learn the truth, 00:06:07 we have a lot of debris mixed in with the clay. 00:06:10 The debris may be personality traits, 00:06:13 some form of wrong conduct, 00:06:15 or false religious beliefs and practices. 00:06:19 Once we correct these matters, 00:06:21 we dedicate our lives to Jehovah, 00:06:23 and he puts us on the wheel to continue the molding process. 00:06:28 At that point, we all are terribly out of shape, 00:06:32 but Jehovah patiently molds us 00:06:36 into a desirable vessel. 00:06:38 Some of us have been in the molding process for decades; 00:06:41 others just started in recent years. 00:06:44 But no matter how long we’ve been spinning 00:06:47 on the Great Potter’s wheel, we must endure 00:06:50 and remain soft and pliable. 00:06:54 Cultivating an obedient heart 00:06:56 will help us to do this, 00:06:59 and that is our third lesson. 00:07:02 When Solomon became king of Israel, 00:07:05 he made one request of Jehovah. 00:07:08 It’s recorded at 1 Kings 3:9, where he prayed: 00:07:12 “So grant your servant an obedient heart 00:07:15 to judge your people, to discern between good and bad.” 00:07:21 Having “an obedient heart” means allowing Jehovah’s Word 00:07:25 to mold our desires, our affections, our emotions, 00:07:30 our feelings, our motives, our goals in life. 00:07:33 Interestingly, much pottery is hollow, 00:07:36 and that means the potter has to put his hands and fingers inside the clay 00:07:41 to give it its proper form. 00:07:43 In the same way, 00:07:45 God’s Word has to get into our hearts 00:07:48 to build us up from within. 00:07:51 Please open your Bibles to Psalm 143:10. 00:07:56 These words of David reveal a humble, teachable spirit 00:08:01 that will help us to cultivate an obedient heart. 00:08:05 Psalm 143:10 says: 00:08:08 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. 00:08:12 Your spirit is good; may it lead me on level ground.” 00:08:17 Yes, there is much we can learn 00:08:19 from the illustration of the potter and the clay. 00:08:22 First of all, it teaches us contentment 00:08:25 with the way Jehovah is molding us and our fellow workers. 00:08:29 It also shows us the need for endurance 00:08:32 and the need to cultivate an obedient heart. 00:08:36 So may we continue to submit 00:08:39 to the gentle, loving hands of our Great Potter. 00:08:43 If we do that, sometime in the future, 00:08:47 he’s going to stop spinning that wheel. 00:08:49 He’s going to look down at what used to be five dollars worth of clay 00:08:53 and say with a smile, ‘Perfect!’ 00:08:57 Well, on hearing that, 00:08:59 how happy we will be that, like Isaiah, we said: 00:09:02 “O Jehovah, . . . we are the clay, 00:09:05 and you are our Potter.”
