Scripture: Jeremiah 18 v 1 - 10; Jeremiah 1 v 10; Matthew
26 v 75; 2 Corinthians 1 v 3 - 11.
This subject of brokenness follows on from the dividing
of the soul from the spirit in that the act of God that brings about that
division results in us feeling broken. It can best be seen in Jeremiah where
the potter breaks the vessel that is damaged or imperfect and reworks the clay
until He makes a vessel He can use.
A vessel of clay describes the flesh of man because Adam
was made out of clay. A beautiful statue into who God breathed the breath of
life that would continue as long as there are babies being born. When Adam
sinned he was cast out of God's presence until the second, perfect Adam was
born. His name is Jesus Christ.
God's dealings with us follow the pattern in Jeremiah 1 v
10 - root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, then build and plant. First we
have to root out the evil trees that have grown in our souls and manifested in
our flesh. ( Read Tree of Bitterness/Rejection/Pride/Sexual Sin/Rebellion/Life
on this blog).
We must root out our rebellion and bitterness and pride.
Pull it down and destroy it. Fall out of agreement with the enemy within and be
ruthless. This would equate with Jesus destroying the marred vessel of clay.
Once the problem area has been cleared then we can build upon it good habits
and behaviour and Jesus will plant good seeds in us. But the process is a
shattering experience that goes way deeper than flesh and soul because it rips
the soul away from our spirit so that the oppression will leave and we can then
grow spiritually and experience greater fellowship with our Father and Jesus.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit will become more fruitful and we will see our
spiritual fruit growing.
So although brokenness is a defining moment it is a
beneficial pain that will reap a good harvest for God's kingdom. Peter had his
defining moment when the cock crowed. Jesus knew that Peter had denied knowing
Him three times that night of His arrest. Peter wept bitterly from the pain of
that betrayal. This fisherman preached to the multitudes after the ascension of
Jesus into heaven.
Paul had his brokenness on the road to Damascus when the
Resurrected Jesus appeared to him and asked why Paul was persecuting Him. Paul
was blind and dumb with shock and it turned him from a Jesus-hating Pharisee
into a most powerful Christian ambassador.
If we have to go through this breaking, and we all do,
then let us do it with grace and understanding. Our Creator is removing
negative problems from our lives and some of them are going to hurt. We need to
trust Him to do what is best for us and not murmur and complain because we are
not getting our own way.
To be part of the body of Jesus we have to lose our
independence. We gain freedom of spirit, wisdom, knowledge and experience of
the corporate life of being a member of God's family. We learn to love one
another when we are not always in our Sunday best. We learn to receive love
even when we least deserve it.
Therefore we should not fear brokenness but be swift to
learn the lesson and grow past the pain. Through the breaking we will reach our
full potential when our lives have been rebuilt to the Lord's satisfaction. We
will have lost the thing we thought our life depended on and will now truly
understand what it means to love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we really don't like pain but when
it brings us to a new understanding of ourselves and our place in the Body of
Jesus we welcome it. Thank You for the life lessons that bring humility, trust,
patience, faith, love and acceptance. In Jesus' name. Amen.