The story of two Pots - Pridenetta & Humilitalia

The story of two Pots - Pridenetta & Humilitalia.

Once upon a time in a land far far away lived many pots of various sizes and shapes . Today we are going to  look at the lives of two pots who lived in the Kingdom of King Potliander. They were Pridenetta and Humilitalia. 

One day King Potliander who ruled over this land of many pots fell very ill. No doctors in that land could cure him. He was becoming more sick every day. 

His Admin Minister had heard about some healing water in a deep well up on Mount Pottypine. So he summoned all the pots in that land. When they arrived, he gathered all the big, small,  beautiful, plain, tall, short,  chipped and broken pots and began addressing them.

"Oh citizens of Pot-Land! Our great King Potliander has fallen gravely ill. No medicine can cure him except the healing water in the deep well, high up on Mount Pottypine . The king has announced that a great reward will be given to the pot which would fetch the healing water from that well for him."

A great commotion rose among the pots that had gathered that summer morning. 

*( By the way my dear young ladies and gentlemen,  let me clear your doubts. These pots in the land of Pots had hands and legs and could walk and talk like any of us. It was a land of fairies and anything can happen in it.)

The king's admin minister hushed the crowd and asked the strongest pot to come forward. A tall, big, plain looking tea-pot came forward.  After examining it he rejected it. He then called for another pot to come forward. 

This time a beautiful Pot called Pridenetta which looked so exquisite and painted with lively and enchanting colours came forward with pride. The minister fell in love with its beauty and exclaimed, "Oh lovely!  You will be the right pot to fetch the healing water for our king. When he looks at your beauty and exquisite patterns and colours on you, half his illness will be gone. Then when he drinks the healing water from you, he will be completely healed. I now appoint you to go and fetch the healing water from Mount Pottypine." Then he dismissed all the other pots.

Pridenetta lifted its head up high in pride. It gave a haughty look at all the other pots which were dismissed. Then it began to strut arrogantly towards Mount Pottypine to get the healing water, all the while thinking about the rich reward it will be getting. 

While it was on its way it met a cracked and broken pot called Humilitalia, with lots of holes and cracks on it, walking beside it.

"Where are you going" asked Humilitalia to Pridenetta.

"Don't you know that our venerable king Potliander is gravely ill. I, the most beautiful Pridenetta, have been chosen from all the pots of this land, to bring the healing water from the well which is on top of Mount Pottypine to him. Well I should not be talking to useless vessels like you. If not I will be late in getting my rich reward. Good bye,"  answered Pridenetta arrogantly and began to strut even faster.

"Oh wow!," exclaimed Humilitalia. "I too want to bring him some water. What if the water you bring is not enough? The more water he drinks the better he will be!"

"Eeewww!" Exclaimed Pridenetta in disgust.  "You of all the pots? First of all, you can't even hold a cup of water in you without it all spilling out through the cracks and holes in you. Besides, have you ever seen yourself in the mirror? The moment our king looks at you he will faint and die. You don't look presentable at all! You look disgusting!"

Saying that it strutted even faster and climbed the mountain walking towards the well. Poor Humilitalia followed behind humbly but persistently wanting to help the king. 

Pridenetta reached the well and carefully inched down the steps in the well. When it reached the bottom it lowered itself into the waters and scooped up just enough  water in it for the king. Having done that it came up cautiously, without spilling the water. It saw Humilitalia standing beside the well. It gave Humilitalia a snobbish look and turned away arrogantly. Then it slowly and carefully made its way down the mountain and toward its kingdom. 

Beside the well stood Humilitalia patiently. It smiled to itself when Pridenetta  snubbed it. It too wanted to go down the well to get some water for the king. It knew its inadequacies.  Therefore it called out to the Master Potter loudly. 

*(The Master Potter is the one who moulded and made the pots in the Kingdom of Pots. Remember that this is a land of fairies! So when anyone calls out to the Master Potter, he will appear to them.)

"Who called me," boomed the Master Potter in a loud voice. He was big in size, had a very kind face, had curly white hair and had a long white beard like Santa Claus.

"It was me sir," replied Humilitalia in a timid voice. 

"How can I help you my child," asked the Master Potter, looking lovingly at the cracked pot. 

"Sir, my king,  King Potliander, is gravely ill. The admin minister said that he will only live if he drinks this healing water. Pridenetta has brought him some of this water but what if he needs more? I know that I can't get the water to him by myself. I need your help. Would you help me," asked Humilitalia humbly and pleadingly. 

"Sure my child! Anyone who comes to me humbly and asks for my help, will not be put to shame.  I will help you bring the water to him." 

Saying that, the Master Potter lifted Humilitalia in his hands, scooped some healing water into it. Then he cupped both his hands around the pot.  The water could not come out through the cracks and holes of the pot because the Master Potter's hands were clasped around it covering every single crack and hole perfectly. It was he who made it when it was only a piece of clay. Therefore he knew how to hold it and fill it with the healing water. 

Now, Pridenetta which went ahead earlier reached the king's Palace. The admin manager met it at the Palace gate and brought it to the king. The king sat up eagerly and took the pot in his hands. He looked at its beauty, but he was too weak and sick to admire it. 

Pridenetta told King Potliander with pride, "Your Majesty, I went all the way to fetch this healing water for you. I know that when you drink it from me, you will be healed! In fact an ugly broken pot wanted to bring you this water, but I came before it. It is not even fit to be presented before you,  your Majesty!"

The King weakly put the pout of the pot to his lips and drank the water. At first he drank a little then he gulped all, but he was still weak and sick as before. Nothing had changed.

 Pridenetta asked him to look at it and admire its beauty and colours,  saying that would make him feel better. The king got irritated and told the admin minister to send it away. Pridenetta was so sad and angry because it did not get the reward. "My reward! My reward! I lost it," sobbed Pridenetta as it walked away angrily stamping its feet. 

Just a while later, there was a knock on the door of the king's  chamber. "Who is that," asked the minister. 

A feeble voice replied, "It's me, the cracked pot, and my Master Potter!" 

 "What do you want? King Potliander is sick and he cannot attend to you now," said the minister.

"Oh, we have come to give him the miracle water which will heal him," answered Humilitalia. 

"Oh well, he had some of the water earlier and it had not done him any good, so go away, " said the minister.

"Sir, if I may interrupt,  this water will heal him," boomed a voice from outside the chamber. 

The minister opened the door to see who it was. There stood the Master Potter with a kind face, holding the cracked pot, which was filled with the healing water, in his hands. 

The minister looked at the Potter,  then looked at the cracked and broken pot and looked into it.  When he saw the pot full of the sparkling water he exclaimed in amazement,  "Oh goodness gracious! You Humilitalia, a cracked pot full of holes, are full of water! This is amazing! Alright, come on in! Let the king drink the water from you!" 

Saying that he brought both the Potter and Humilitalia to the king's bedside. The king could not even sit up this time. The Master Potter poured the water from Humilitalia, little by little into the king's mouth. As soon as the water went down the king's throat, the king felt better. He sat up and felt his strength returning. Suddenly he was so energised that he jumped out of his bed with glee.  He hugged Humilitalia and thanked both the pot and the Potter. 

King Potliander said "I drank the same healing water from the beautiful pot, Pridenetta earlier but nothing happened. Now again I drank it from you, Humilitalia, the cracked pot, and am completely healed. Therefore you Humilitalia, will be given a huge reward which I promised.

"Oh no your majesty," replied Humilitalia humbly. "I am just a broken vessel. It was my Master Potter who filled me up and held me firmly so that the water would not seep through the cracks and holes in ne. It was he who carried me to you and it was he who poured the water into your mouth. I did not do anything. I don't deserve any reward.  Please give the reward to him and Pridenetta which walked all the way to the well and walked back with the water for you. She deserves the reward for  her hard work."

The King was touched by Humilitalia's humility.  He said, "I know now why I was not healed when I drank from Pridenetta. It was full of pride. Therefore the water lost it's healing property. Further more her motive was not right. She wanted to bring me the water only for the reward. But you, on the other hand are so humble.  You acknowledged your Master Potter who is your maker. You ascribed all glory to him.  It was your humility that mingled with the water and made the healing properties in it more potent. Your motive was not to get the reward but you really wanted to see me healed. That's why I was healed. I love your attitude. I have realised that, only those with humble hearts can achieve anything. It is because the humble ones always call upon their maker and he comes to be with them and work out things through them. Come now my dear Humilitalia , come and receive your reward."

Humilitalia  could not believe its ears. It thanked the King and its maker, the Master  Potter and received its reward from the King. 

Moral of the story:- 

1) No matter how weak or small you are do not be sad or afraid. Remember that you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you.

 Philippians 4:13 ESV

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

2) Always be humble and you will win God's favour. 

Proverbs 29:23

A man’s pride will bring him low,

But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

Matthew 23:12

Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Psalm 37:11 says, “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.”

The meek “humbly acknowledge their dependence on the goodness and grace of God”  They will depend on God and give Him all the glory.

Hope you enjoyed the story? If so please share it with your friends.

 

God bless you.🙌

Mary Augustine  ✍️ 🌹 

 

What does it mean to 'Abide in the Word', Who is the 'All Consuming Fire' ?

What does it mean to 'Abide in the Word', Who is the 'All Consuming Fire'?

Isaiah 33:14-16 ESV

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?" [15] He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, [16] he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

I was contemplating on this. These 3 verses speak volumes about our abiding in the Lord and about being transformed into His likeness.

God is a consuming fire. Who can stand in His presence forever?

The melting point of gold is 1,064 degrees Celsius, this refers to pure gold, or 24ct (99% pure) gold. 

Once it is heated to that temperature,  impurities are separated from it and removed. 

But to use the gold for higher purposes, like in medicine, electronics and space industries, it has to be boiled further to be changed into gaseous form. The boiling temperature is more than 2000°C.

'Occasionally, gold is used in gas form to make incredibly thin gold coatings. This is done in the electronics, medicine, and space industries. Given gold’s high melting point, it is perhaps unsurprising that gold also has an incredibly high boiling point. The boiling point of gold is an extreme 2,856 Celsius or 5,173 Fahrenheit! Getting gold to reach this temperature is usually done with High Electron beams as even industrial arc furnaces don’t typically reach temperatures high enough to boil gold.' - an exerpt from the link below.

To read in detail about how gold is melted you may refer to the link below.👇

https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/index/gold/melting-point-of-gold/

Only gold can withstand intense heat up to 2,856° Celsius or 5,173° Fahrenheit.

Therefore we who abide in Christ Jesus  are not just relaxing there and enjoying a holiday, doing what pleases us.

Some may think that when we come to Jesus we have no more problems,  no trials and suffering.  But they are greatly mistaken. 

The real trials and tribulations start only when we come to Jesus and begin to abide in Him. 

Just as gold is heated in intense fire to remove all impurities from it and further boiled to be used for higher purposes, we, the children of God are being purified in God's consuming fire daily. To further use us for His  higher purposes, God intensifies our trials and sees if we are ready for His higher use.

You may think that this God Who puts His children under such intense suffering and trials is a Monster. 

Our Father God is not a cruel tyrant. He is a compassionate,  merciful and ever loving Father. He does not throw us who abide in Him, into the fire of His wrath. 

Yes, God is the 'All Consuming Fire'. Yet, this same fire consumes us in two different ways. 

1. God gently nudges, prods, and purifies us, His children,  in His fire of love to remove the impurities in us and to shape us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

2. God's wrath is poured upon those who knowingly disobey, rebel against and vehemently sin against Him and who cause others to sin and rebel against Him. Why? It is because they are causing eternal harm to themselves.

We must remember that a moment by moment help to withstand and triumph, is given to us by the Holy Spirit Who is dwelling within us, who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. God does not leave us as orphans.

Therefore to abide in Jesus the vine (John 15:4,5), we branches must be ready to be pruned often. Only then, the fruit which the Holy Spirit produces in us will be succulent.

Someone who does not do the same things, does not speak the same way, does not enjoy the same entertainment that everyone enjoys or does not watch the movies which they watch, does not participate in the wrong others are doing like gossip or cheating for example, he will most often be ridiculed and ostracised by the people of this world. When we idolise the things of this world instead of putting God first,  when we eat too much or eat way too little,  when we eat or drink what we should not, when we tell lies or take what does not belong to us, when we are lazy, when we waste our time and money on the things of this world and on what brings God dishonour, there are sure consequences. Then we suffer the consequences which come in the form of sickness or a stern warning or discipline from God. These are just a sample of the trials, those who abide in Christ Jesus have to go through.

There are many more trials every human being will face daily.  Like healrh issues, communication issues, not being able to see eye to eye with others, misunderstandings between husbands and wives, parents and children,  parents in laws and sons/daughters in laws, between siblings, employers and employees, etc. Most of these, occur often in each family. 

The one who has surrendered himself to Christ Jesus and who abides in Him faithfully, will be able to handle each trials with the help of the Spirit of God within him. Thus his perspectives will be aligned with God's perspectives.  His character will be perfected. The fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control will be evident in his life.

Again, who can stand in the presence of our God, Who is a consuming fire? 

The answer is:-

Isaiah 33:15,16

[15]He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, [16] he will dwell on the heights;

In short, it is he who wants to be holy, who is humble, is repentant, fears the Lord and trembles at His name.

It is him whom God is seeking to dwell within, as He says in

Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? [2] All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

God our Father seeks one who lives righteously, is humble and repentant and has the fear of God within him always.

That is the person who abides in the Lord and who allows God to purify him step by step, change his character and transform him into the image of Christ Jesus. 

All who think that becoming a Christian will make them prestigious, powerful and wealthy will be sadly deceived.

All others who come to Christ Jesus thinking that they will have a jolly good time abiding in Him,  will leave when trials and tribulations hit them. This is a sad fact.

So my dear brethren, who call yourselves Christians, are you ready to abide in Jesus our Saviour faithfully, without complaining,  grumbling and finding fault with Him? Are you ready to die to your fleshly nature, die to your worldly desires and crush your ego under your feet and walk in the narrow way with Jesus?

If you are, then it is you whom He is calling, "Come Follow Me!"

Are you ready to be sanctified and transformed by Him, our loving Father, Who is also the 'All Consuming Fire'?

Yes? Yes! Great! 

Then, come on and abide in Him our Saviour and our God and draw unending graces from Him as you are pruned, shaped and sanctified by His Spirit. 

In humility, with repentant hearts and a holy fear of Him, we shall live and make ourselves His holy dwelling place. This is what He seeks as in Isaiah 66:2 and asks in Isaiah  33:146

Do not run away from the trials and tribulations we go through because these very same trials and tribulations are from Him Who loves us. These are necessary to grow our faith, help us to be persevering and gives us the hope that we will be with Him forever in His holy presence forever.

Paul emphasises this in:-

Romans 5:1-5 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

You may ask, "What do we gain in this world by abiding in Jesus?"

By abiding faithfully in Jesus, these are what we gain on earth:-

1. Peace, when going through trials, that this world can never give.

2. Hope of dwelling with God now and for all eternity.

3. Joy that surpasses all understanding.

4. Gradual transformation of character which is pleasing to God.

God bless you as you abide in Jesus, the Word of God and submit yourself to Him!

Be Blessed 🙌 

Mary Augustine ✍️🌹 

Friday 24th March 2023