You're The Bronze Pot

I had the great privilege of spending a couple of weeks in India a few years back. We flew into Kolkata and then traveled north. The tea fields were beautiful. If you order a tea in Kolkata it is served to you in a small clay cup that is disposable. There were areas where I would see piles of broken cups that had been tossed after use. The practice reminded me of an Old Testament practice regarding the sin offering.

Not all meat was burned in a sin offering, some was cooked. There were specific instructions then given for what was to be done with the pot the meat was cooked in.

"The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water." Leviticus 6:28.

Because the pots contained sin they had to be cleansed, but you can't really cleanse a clay pot. It absorbs what is put into it so once used the pot had to be tossed out. Since a bronze pot could be cleansed you could clean it and use it again.

I've met too many people along the way who view themselves as clay pots. Since sin has been in them they feel they stay dirty. They never really get clean. As a result they view themselves poorly. They believe they will never be of any great value to the kingdom. The Bible teaches us,

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9.

Did you catch that? When we come to Christ we are cleansed. In the picture of the Old Testament sacrifice you're not the clay pot. You're the bronze one.

Did we contain sin? Yes. But we've been cleansed to be used again. When your adversary wants to remind you of your past declare that you have been cleansed. Father didn't toss you aside to leave you broken and unusable. He sent His Son to cleanse you.

You're the bronze pot.

Following the Son,

James A Williams

PS: I still have my tea cup from Kolkata. It sits on my shelf to remind me that Father didn't throw me out.