... There's Gotta Be Chamberpots ...

And now, a word from our sponsor:

Romans 9:20-23
(20) But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"
(21) Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
(22) What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
(23) and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,

I want to be a vessel of honor. I want to be a vessel of glory. I want to shine. I want to glow. I want to be special. I want ... I want ... I want ...

For 40 years now, I've begged God to tell me what I should do, and who I should be. I look at that now and think it's silly. I look at it now and realize what I was really asking Him was how I could find a road to greatness.

Not greatness before Him (though ask me, I'd tell you that was what I wanted, what I want).

Nope, the greatness I sought was the greatness of man's adulation. I tasted more than a little of this... I had a pretty great run in school. Lots of academic awards, lots of praise.

But it ended. I associated the awards and the praise with pleasing God. I associated it with being GREAT for God.

But I lay Romans 9 alongside The Discovery Channels hit show, "Dirty Jobs." and a message is born.

First, the silliness. "Lord, what do you want me to be?"

He already made me. He already gifted me. He already promised He'd never leave nor forsake me. He already has led me through every page of my life.

Sounds like He's already made me (and is further making me) into what is right for me.

So what's the hassle?

Maybe it's that I don't like it. Or THINK I won't like who and what He's made. My prayer really could be, "Lord, make me something different... PLEASE!"

Romans 9 says he makes vessels for work. Some utilitarian pots for cooking and serving, some beautiful decorative pots to show the wonders of His artistry, some chamber pots.

Man, there's gotta chamberpots. Don't know what one is? Wellll... before there were toilets, stuff still had to be ... collected and disposed of... and ... well... those pots were held in the bedchambers ... Yeah... you probably catch the drift.

The wonders of Dirty Jobs is seeing how incredibly vital poop removal, pee filtering, garbage hauling, etc, how vital it is. Imagine if there were no way to get the poo out of the house.

God has already made me, and is constantly shaping me. Stop already with the "what should I do?. Start with the Thanks be to God for giving me life and salvation. And then be ready for whatever use this vessel has in store. If it's poo collector, then I will do my best to thank God for giving me such a vital position.

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