His hand upon our lives

THE PATIENCE THAT EXPANDS US.
James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. That means fullness, no lack, no emptiness, sharing he fullness of his spiritual being, his love, peace and joy.
So the perfect work is the increase of our capacity to contain more of this fullness of God within us.
God is always at work upon us and in us, to expand our capacity to contain more of Him. BUT when we say we want more of him it really translates out as - He wants more of us, and He puts that desire into our hearts to ask for more of him. (David’s broad place of enlargement Psalm 118:5 – Psalm 40).

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ
1Chronicles 4:9 ….” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. (What do we do with our pain?)

THE POTTER AND THE CLAY - a potter makes vessels that are designed to contain things and to be filled and to pour out and they need to be shaped. We have the treasure of him in our earthen vessels.
Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Jeremiah 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

The clay is soaked with water – He softens our hearts by the Holy Spirit
The clay is centered – everything now revolves around Jesus.
The clay is worked by hand inside and out – a complete work
The clay has to sit and wait – My heart is fixed Psalm 57:7
The clay is designed and marked uniquely – Our intimacy with him
The clay is fired – He is seen with us through the fire. Daniel 3:25