1月6日
标 题：神在寻找黏土
经 节：“耶和华说：以色列家啊，我待你们，岂不能照这窑匠弄泥吗？以色列家啊，泥在窑匠的手中怎样，你们在我的手中也怎样。”（耶利米书十八章6节）
神清楚如何把救恩带给你的家庭、你的朋友、你的社区和你的世界。因此，祂正在寻找一些愿意让祂塑造成为可用器皿的人，来实行祂神圣的工作。黏土对自己毫无计画，也没有事奉的远大抱负，更不会心不甘情不愿地付出。它只是一块柔软可塑、完全顺服主人意志的黏土。
我们常常兴奋地向神宣布：“我已经发现自己的优点和恩赐。现在，我知道自己怎样最能事奉神。”我们有时候会通知祂：“我知道自己的缺点，所以我知道有哪些事我无法为神做。”这种心态根本不是陶土的特性。神并不受你个人能力的限制来使用你（哥林多后书十二：9～10），祂能塑造我们成为任何一种祂所要的器皿。当神的任务需要谦卑品格的人，祂就寻找一个愿意谦卑的仆人；当神的工需要奋兴的器皿，祂就寻找能被圣灵充满的人。神使用圣洁的器皿，祂寻找那些愿意被神除去自己不洁的人。它不是一种高贵的行业，它只是一块黏土–既没有什么吸引力，也无可夸之处，唯一的例外是：它乃是全能神所寻找的一块柔软、可塑造的黏土。
如果你老是告诉神什么是你能做的事、什么是你不能做的事，现在该是顺服祂计画的时候，任凭祂塑造你成为祂计画中的你，就像一块黏土一样。
God Looks for Clay
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! (Jeremiah 18:6)
God knows how to bring salvation to your family, your friends, your community, and your world. Accordingly, He looks for those who will allow Him to shape them into the instruments He requires to do His divine work. Clay has no plans of its own, no aspirations for service, nor reluctance to perform its given task. It is just clay. Moldable, pliable, totally submissive to the will of its master.
At times we excitedly announce to God: “I’ve discovered my strengths and gifts, and now I know how I can best serve You!” At other times we inform Him, “I am aware of what my weaknesses are, so I know which tasks I’m not capable of doing for You.” Yet this is not characteristic of clay. God is not limited to working with our strengths (2 Cor. 12:9–10). He can mold us into whatever kind of instrument He requires. When God’s assignment demands humility, he finds a servant willing to be humbled. When His work requires zeal, He looks for someone He can fill with His Spirit. God uses holy vessels, so He finds those who will allow Him to remove their impurities. It is not a noble task, being clay. There is no to it, nothing boastworthy, except that it is exactly what almighty God is looking for. Compliant, moldable, yielded clay.
If your tendency is to tell the Father what you can and cannot do for Him, submit to His agenda and allow Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be. Like clay.
