The Potter's House: 30 Days of Devotions for Women

By K L Rich

God is our Potter and we are His clay. He has made us to be unique vessels for His glory. Throughout the Bible, there were women who allowed God to use them in many ways, but there were also others who were wicked and God had to deal with them accordingly. In "The Potter's House: 30 Days of Devotions for Women," you will learn from the various stories of women in the Bible with regards to faith, doubt, holiness, wickedness, temptation, and other challenges that we as women are often faced with in regards to our Christian walk. God has given us His Holy Word so that we can learn from their mistakes as well as successes to give us a road map for the course that He would have us to take.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365982910

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The Potter's House: 30 Days of Devotions for Women

The potter’s house:

30 Days of devotions for women

By k l rich

Copyright

2017 by K L Rich. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except in the case of brief quotations printed in articles or reviews, without prior permission in writing from the publisher/author.

All scriptures are taken from the New International Version (NIV), King James Version, New Living Translation (NLT), and English Standard Version (ESV) Bibles.

Production/publishing by K L Rich

Illustrations by K L Rich

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-365-98291-0

Rich, K L.

The Potter’s House: 30 Days of Devotions for Women

CONTENTS

1)     I’m a Broken Vessel

2)     Abigail the Peacemaker

3)     Athaliah Must Die

4)     Bathsheba & The Bath of Death

5)     Deborah the Courageous

6)     Delilah the Female Judas Iscariot

7)     Dorcas Asleep on the Job

8)     Elisabeth’s Menopausal Surprise

9)     Esther and the Secret

10) Eve the Mother of Grief

11) Gomer the Promiscuous Wife

12) Hagar the Runaway Slave

13) Hannah’s Cry for Relief

14) Jael Administers Justice

15) Jezebel Goes to the Dogs

16) Lois & Eunice’s Training of a Child

17) Martha & Mary – Sisters of Contrast

18) Mary Magdalene and the Exorcist

19) Mary (Mother of Jesus)

20) Miriam & Zipporah…Family Trouble

21) Naomi & Ruth Tag Teams

22) Proverbs 31 Woman

23) Puah & Shiphrah Defies a King

24) Queen Vashti Exiled for a Cause

25) Rachael & Leah – a Tale of Two Sisters

26) Rahab Gets a Lifeline

27) Rebekah Splits the Family

28) Sarah’s Comedy Hour

29) Tamar Will Not Be Played

30) Zeresh the Foolish Wife

31) You Were Wonderfully Made

32) Author

I’m A Broken Vessel

You created me from the dust of the ground,

To be in the image of You.

I was nothing more than mere particles of dust,

But You gave me form and the breath of life too.

Oh, but how Your creation has destroyed itself

Because of the devil’s scheming lies.

Thinking that we as human beings can be as God,

Rising up above the heavenly skies.

If only we would come to the knowledge,

That You are the Potter and we’re just clay.

Broken vessels at best that we truly are;

Yet, You can fix us if we ask today.

I’m unworthy for Your hands to even touch,

This marred-up vessel that I’ve become.

Yes, cracked, broken, and stained indeed,

By the evils of sin that I have succumb.

Nevertheless, You love me with an unconditional love,

That only You as my Creator can do.

You, my God, are the Potter and I am Your clay,

Please mend this vessel as I submit to You.

DAY 1

Abigail the Peacemaker

1 Samuel 25:23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. (NLT)

David had been chosen to be the next king of Israel, but his future appointment came at a huge cost due to the jealousy of current king of Israel – Saul. While staying out of Saul’s path, David and his men traveled to a place named Carmel where they came across some shepherds tending their sheep. Shepherds had to always be on the alert due to thieves and bandits being ready to take what was not theirs. David and his men provided protection for the shepherds until they completed shearing their sheep.

Assuming that the shepherd’s owner would be gracious to them, David sent a request to him for food and whatever he had to spare. Unfortunately, the owner, Nabal, which means fool was true to his name and hurled insults at David’s men upon the mention of his request. 1 Samuel 25:10-11  Who is this fellow David? Nabal sneered to the young men. Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where? (NLT) This angered David and therefore, he decided that he would take vengeance upon Nabal and his entire household of men.

Word of Nabal’s behavior reached his wife, Abigail, so she decided to do what her husband refused to do. She gathered food, wine, and loaded them onto donkeys to take to David and his men. Even though she was not at fault for what her thoughtless husband had done, she became the peacemaker and mediated between the anger of David and the foolishness of her husband. 1 Samuel 25: 23-24 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. She fell at his feet and said, "I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. (NLT) Abigail apologized for what her husband had done and in so doing, she saved the men in her household from being slaughtered at the hands of David.

There are times, that as vessels of the Potter, we too will have to be the peacemaker just as Abigail was. Situations may arise that will require taking the blame and/or responsibility for something even when you are not the party at fault – just for the sake of peace. Nevertheless, it is not always about who is right or wrong, but displaying the character that the Potter wants His children to have and that is one of peace and harmony even during turbulent times.

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit that the Potter bestows upon His children. Peace begins when we are willing to compromise our need to be right in order to do what is right by God. In the end, all peacemakers will receive a reward. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers,  for they will be called children of God. (NIV)

DAY 2

Athaliah Must Die!

2 Kings 11:20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was peaceful because Athaliah had been killed at the king’s palace. (NLT)

Wickedness ran rampant throughout much of Israel and Judah. Most of it was contributed to rebellious leaders. As did the leaders, so followed the rest of the nation. Therefore, God punished the leaders who defied Him and led His people astray by raising up another leader, Jehu, to deal with the wicked leaders of both Israel and