Date: 27th Oct 2021
Before an earthquake comes, there are signs that appear first. Here is one:
A cup on the table will begin to vibrate. If the cup has liquid in it then the liquid will ripple. The ripple will be seen before the cup begins to move. As the earthquake intensifies, the cup will move. It will vibrate in position and then shake and move its position totally.
Inside all of us is the spiritual liquid, the substance of spiritual life. We were made from water and spirit, and the cup is the physical container. The liquid picks up the spiritual resonance of God and begins to react and ripple from inside. It’s reacting to God’s will and presence. It is the unction before the function.
A functioning cup is a movable cup. It’s moved by the hand from the shelf, by the hand to be filled, and by the hand to the mouth. If it is tied, nailed, screwed or glued to the surface, it holds no function. It remains just like any other container.
When the vibration comes, it will crack and break into pieces, but an unfixed cup disperses the energy and moves.
This is the message for us. We are earthen vessels, to be used by the master’s hand. If we are not fit for function, then we will be broken and thrown upon the pile of other shattered pieces.
Do you have a favourite cup, one you like to drink out of most of the time? I do, or should I say, did. It now stands on my desk, holding pens. It received a crack from its top to its base and now it can’t hold any liquid at all. Its function has been changed. But now I have another favourite cup. It was bought for my birthday, which makes it extra special.
In ancient times, a favourite or expensive piece of pottery, if broken, would often be repaired by joining the broken pieces together with gold. The
Japanese made it into an art form. It’s called Kintsugi.
Some of these containers are simply beautiful. The solid gold joints look like veins of glowing lava.
We are more precious to Him than all the gold in china or Japan.
God is the Father of creation. He made the very elements of the universe. This morning, I was struck by the fact that God created the very wood from which my table and chair were made. Outside, we see trees that have lived longer than many humans.
God can take our very substance, the clay of our being, and though it may be cracked and dry, remould it and make it new again without adding a single piece of new clay to it.
However, God sees that the cup needs other things and influences around for it to be put to use.
Let’s look at it this way: God created everything for a purpose and gave it value and meaning. Everything is made to achieve something, either on its own or with something else. Adam, in effect, was not functioning at a hundred percent. God saw that he was alone — unbalanced you could say. So God made for him a wife. The woman, though scripture tells us she was taken from a rib, was in fact taken from his side. This is far more profound. She was half of Adam.
We are made in God’s image and are the result of the workmanship of His hands. We are meant for good things. A cup that is never used, is an ornament, but it’s better put to use. There should never be only one cup. If one breaks you will need another.
Reflect on this for a moment: A cup that is constantly used has more chance of being broken too. God will often bring us to the point of breaking. At such a time we need to call on Him and ask to be strengthened. We often receive this strength through rest and prayer. This is when God ministers to us. Remember, there’s always another cup.
God has spent time making you, and thought about you, even before the process. He has put effort into you. When He finished you, He sealed you by the blood of Christ, sanctifying you and consecrating you for a purpose that will accomplish His work for eternity.
Eternity, our salvation, waits for us, and we get there through faith — putting our trust in Him.
If you want to be used by God and are fed up feeling like an ornament, then repent and ask to become a movable cup.
If you believe that God can do such a thing, then you are justified in being used for righteousness.
Finally,
I remember watching a survival programme. The test was to cross a rapid water course between two pieces of land. The river was some ten or twenty feet below and coursed its way between big boulders. A fall into the ravine would mean certain catastrophic injury. On one side, nearest the group, were two tree trunks. Neither of them, on their own reached to the other side. The group spent almost an hour trying to figure out what to do. The instructor was getting frustrated and could not believe how long the team was taking. Eventually he approached the group and threw the trunks aside, and simply by taking a little run, jumped over the gap. Why did they not just do that, he asked.
What we learn from this example, is that we often see the things around us as the solution to our problem. These are the things that nail us, tie us, screw and glue us down. Sometimes it is just easier to leave those things fixed and jump across the problem.
Why don’t you pray, and ask the Lord what you are holding onto and what is tying you down, and ask Him to release you into your purpose. He will not let you fall and be cracked into pieces. You are in His hands.