GENTLE PRESSURE

 

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

 

GENTLE PRESSURE

 

Jer 18:4

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

 

          The Lord told Jeremiah to go down and observe the potter and his work. He watched as the raw clay was scooped up and pounded into a moldable consistency. The lump was slapped upon the center of the wheel, and he began to spin it with his foot while his wet hands smoothed out a usable shape. The Lord then explained that making a lovely and useful vessel sometimes required some pounding and finally some gentle pressure.

 

          A few years ago, a graduate gave a single rose to my wife to indicate that she had been impacted by my wife’s gentle pressure upon her life. My wife was surprised but I wasn’t. No, I did not know about the rose beforehand, but I was not surprised. Gentle pressure is not always appreciated while being applied but it transforms.

 

          Do you feel the Potter’s gentle pressure upon your life today? Maybe it is more like pounding! Either way, God is trying to make something beautiful and useful of you. Even “mess ups” are not a total loss in the masterful hands of the potter. He simply starts over and makes it into another vessel. Yield to His gentle pressure and wait for the transformation. It’s going to be wonderful!

 

Dear Lord, let me yield to your gentle pressure upon my life today. AMEN

 

MORE THAN ENOUGH!

 

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

 

MORE THAN ENOUGH!

 

Ps 121

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

Notice the upward focus! The eyes of the person of faith are elevated above the clamor and calamity. There is calm in the hills of help. There is consolation, comfort and cure! Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and full of praise and worship, think on these things. Our focus is important! How often do we magnify our problems and minimize our help? He is more than adequate for any situation.

 

Notice the source of our help! Lest we think the psalmist is seeking guidance from some zany guru on a hilltop, he explains in verse two that his help comes from the Lord. Lest we remain confused as to the identity of this “lord” he further identifies Him as the One who made heaven and earth. Oh, that Lord is more than sufficient for our problems. This Lord needs neither slumber nor rest. He is eternally vigilant on our behalf. He is our keeper. He is our shamar (shaw-mar'), our guard and protector.

 

Notice the details of His care! Even the Sun and Moon shall not “smite” us! By day the glory of the Almighty shaded and led Israel through the wilderness. By night the cloud became a pillar of fire to warm and to brighten the night sky. Jesus noted that even the very hairs of our head are numbered and known by the Lord. He pays attention to the minutiae of our lives.

 

Notice the extent of this care! Never flagging care is promised to the one who looks to the Lord. The psalmist also asked: “Where can I go from thy presence?” The answer is evident and sure. We can never run so far that the Lord is not there. No trouble is too big for our God, even for evermore.

 

Ps 121:8

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

Dear Lord, I thank you for being more than enough for my every need today. AMEN

 

WHERE IS YOUR HEART!

 

Monday, April 20, 2026

 

WHERE IS YOUR HEART!

 

Matt 6:19-21

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

          While preparing to speak at a ladies’ banquet, my wife used the above portion of Scripture as the foundation of a talk called “Treasures of the Heart.” The word treasure, in verse 13, is translated from two Greek words. The word ho which is a definite article like “this” or “that” and the word thesauros which means “a deposit.” Jesus argued that wherever you find your deposit you would also find your heart.

 

          The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried under a “mpundu’ tree in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be?

 

Dear Lord, you are my great treasure! Let my heart be buried at the foot of the cross. AMEN