"The love of the cross requires a time of molding. The Holy Spirit wants every vessel to have the character of heaven because we are the children of God and citizens of heaven. The citizens of heaven must have the character of heaven. So my Potter guides me to the fire, to mold me.

I remember my childhood. When I was a little girl, I was very stubborn. I refused to do the things that I needed to do. I totally despised homework. My family said to me, “The only thing that we are asking of you is just to study. Do your homework. Then we will send you to become a foreign exchange student.” That was their entire request.

In the first year of junior high school, all I did was dream. I dreamed about an unknown world. Even though I lived in this world, my mind was somewhere else. All I needed was a pen and a piece of paper. I started writing love stories, very touching and desperate love stories. I was searching for love. My heart was beating quickly; I started to highly honor that unknown love I had never experienced. My parents showed me deep love as parents. Even so, I was searching for deeper love. Deep down in my heart I believed that true love was waiting for me somewhere.

Finally, in 1984, my search was over when I met Jesus. I went to the Potter’s house. He molded me. He made me His clay. Slowly, He put me inside the fire. He gently molded me with His love. My love for Jesus was very deep. I gladly, joyfully, allowed the Potter to put me in the fire. The love of God touched my soul and took away every spiritual and emotional pain. He opened my eyes to see His glorious, potter’s hand. He showed me that His grace is sufficient for me. He showed me His light of love and delivered me from every trial.

Abba, Father, is our potter and we are His clay. We live and breathe in His hands. We need to allow the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, to mold us, make us, and use us. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to give us His perfect image and make us His perfect vessel. God will use whomever He wants to
use, but before He uses them, He looks into His hand for a shiny, clean vessel.

Today, we need to examine our hearts to see what kind of vessel we are. It doesn’t matter what we look like or what color we are, the good news is that we have all come from God. He has created every vessel. We are all in His hands.

Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

God uses us according to the measure of our faith. God uses some vessels to win souls, some as servants, some to do mission work, some as apostles, some as instrument players, some as prophets, some as teachers, some as preachers, some as pastors, some to give, some to heal, and some to give exhortation. The desire of God is to use every vessel, but some vessels become vessels of anger, unforgiveness, adultery, alcohol, drugs, or even betrayal. In the midst of all of this, God is always in charge of everything.

We all need to go to the potter’s house where the Father God is in charge.

People often don’t want to be clay, so they constantly run away from God. They forsake the character of God. They do not want to feel hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God, but have hunger and thirst for sin and for this world.

Jesus took His disciples to the mountain where he taught His disciples about the blessings of God, the Beatitudes. The following eight blessings are the characteristics of Christianity.

Eight blessings:
1.  Blessed are the poor in spirit
2.  Blessed are those who mourn
3.  Blessed are the meek
4.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
5.  Blessed are the merciful
6.  Blessed are the pure in heart
7.  Blessed are the peacemakers
8.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

These eight blessings are the characteristics of heaven. As born again believers, we should desire to have these characteristics.