Today's Devotional
April 4, 2008
Subject: Who Is Shaping You?
Jeremiah 18:6 "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
I'm beginning to see something that I had never really noticed before. As the election for President heats up and as other issues in the world evolve, race and ethnicity are characteristics being used to define people. There have always been stereotypes and certain characterizations of people based on their ethnic make-ups, but I think that what is going on is working against these groups and not for them.
Last night I noticed that CNN has started a series of programs called "Black In America." I noticed this past week that in Dallas they held a "Black Church Summit." I remember my wife telling me about a program/conference last year to discuss "The State of Black America." At first look this might seem like a small thing, but when I reflected back, I was somewhat amazed at how black people (the majority of them anyway) seemed to feel good about things like O.J. being found "not guilty" in the slaying of his wife and how Black people seemed proud and agreeable with the recently released statements and videos of Jeremiah Wright. Now I'm beginning to see that the world itself continues to define this group as "Black" people. The TV shows, the conferences and even the churches are all "black." One guy who illuminated this for me recently called it "blackism." He said that skin color in this case becomes the ultimate reality and everything else is secondary.
Black people and any other color people should not let the world shape them. The world, i.e. the prince of this world, Satan, is doing this subtly. He is trying to softly pat you here and move you there so that you become moldable. Before you know it, we fit the mold he has made for us. God wants to do all of the shaping in our lives and the more that we read about Him, the less we will be conformed to the pattern that this world sets for us.
Today, whatever color you are, don't let the world tell you that your color is what you are. You are a child of The King and He is shaping you to be a subject in His kingdom. He wants those who understand that to start living that way now. Ask your self what has shaped you the most. If the message of Christ isn't the answer, you're being poured into the wrong mold.
Carlen
