Prattville Dragoons Chaplain's Column for September 2015

From the Camp 1524 Dispatch newsletter:

Avoid The Mold – Scripture 1 Peter 1:13-16

When the injection molding process was invented in 1972 by John and Isaiah Hyatt the world was changed. Through this process, plastics and other materials can be heated and forced into a mold. Once cooled, a perfectly formed object appears. Every day we pick up something created by injection molding.

     Looking at Romans 12:2 the image of a mold came to my mind: “Do not be conformed to this world.  But be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God.” The picture described hear tells me of the pressure that is constantly being exerted on us by sin (the flesh), the world, and the devil. The mold of the world takes many shapes, but none of them are original. They all question the authority of God—attempting to discount God’s Word and excluding Him from our priorities.
     It is important to remember who formed our being—God has created us to be like Him—we do not fit into any other mold.
We must also remember that a man can be outwardly conformed to the Christian way of life while he is inwardly conformed to the spirit of this world. This is something we must not allow to happen in our lives.

      God is teaching us about His relationship with His children. He says that He will deal with us just as a potter works with clay and that we, like the clay, are in His hands.

     God deals with believers in two ways. First, He is molding every one of us into the image of His Son Jesus. Second, He is shaping us for a specific purpose, one that is individually designed so we will help build His kingdom. Our part as the clay is to submit ourselves to His purpose. As the Potter, He may subtract something from our life—similar to removing lumps from clay. Another possibility is that He may speed up the pace until we feel as if we’re spinning. Or, desiring a new shape for His “vessels,” He might dramatically rework our pattern of living in order to start us in a new direction. Our responsibility is to accept any changes from the Master Potter.