Just as a potter molds his clay into the vessel he desires, God shapes us as chosen vessels and equips us to do His work. Hebrews 13:21 says, God will “equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ.”


God is not going to call us to a task and then leave us to ourselves to make it happen; He shapes us into the vessel He desires and then works in us and through us to do His good will.


I have often felt called to assignments bigger than me. The first time I was asked to speak at a Ladies’ event, I remember praying, “Lord, I need You; this is too big for me.” But God helped me and showed me what I should speak. He gave me the courage to share His Word with them. Now, years later, I am more comfortable speaking to groups
and confident in preparing a lesson, but He is still shaping me and showing me ways to be a better speaker.


God shapes and equips us by giving us spiritual gifts and teaching us how to use them.


First Corinthians 12:4-6 tells us, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”


Each believer is given the spiritual gift the Holy Spirit chooses to give him or her.


Each believer is to use his or her gift to serve as the Lord leads.


Each believer will do the work using his or her gift in the way God empowers.


“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).


Different gifts, ministries, and good works are assigned to each of us to serve others as the Spirit desires. Through these, God shapes us into the vessel that He can use as He determines. Our spiritual gift does not define us; it equips us. God is the one who chooses how, when, and where we use our gift.


God has given me and many others the gift of teaching, but uses us in different ways. I serve in a monthly ministry that has three main teachers. Each of us speaks to a group of ladies on the same subject. It is amazing how different the lessons we prepare each month are, but God uses each of them to minister to the ladies. Many have expressed how differently each of us teaches, but how God always uses it to teach and bless
them. This is true because God has shaped each of us differently.  


When we accept that God shapes us as He desires and willingly use the gift He gives, we will be obeying the instructions of 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”


We are to be faithful stewards of the gift He gives us, which means we are to use it however He assigns, regardless of how difficult the tasks seem. God often uses challenging tasks to shape us. We grow as he equips and empowers us for each new assignment.

Second Corinthians 9:8 assures us that “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”


On our own, we are insufficient, but with God, we have all we need to abound.


Look at the 4 all’s of this verse.
All grace–God doesn’t expect us to do it by ourselves. He gives us the grace to take each step.
Always–There is never a time we are left to ourselves to do it. He is with us, shaping us, always.
All sufficiency–We are always good enough to get the job done, because God empowers us. He is with us, and He is always enough. God enables us to do what He calls us to do.
All things–God gives us anything we need to be able to accomplish the task He gives us. We can trust Him to provide the skills, time, or resources we need.


Throughout our lives and service to God, He will continue to shape us into the vessel that He desires to use. We are never truly finished. We will always be a work in progress. As we willingly serve wherever He leads, we become vessels of honor fit for His use.


Please share how God is individually shaping you.
What unique assignment has He given you?
How has He used that assignment to shape you into a useful vessel?


*All Scriptures are quoted from the NIV