Have You Ever Been Poured From One Jar Into Another?

How do you respond when life gets hard? Does difficulty inspire you, energize you, or slowly wear you down?

WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN

Have you ever wondered why God allows our comfortable lives to be turned upside down? Everything may be going well, and then suddenly something changes. Sickness, financial problems, marriage difficulties, problems with our children, or circumstances we never saw coming can leave us asking, “Why does God allow this?”

I’ve found that when we pause and study the Bible, there is so much to learn and apply to our lives. I recently read something fascinating in Jeremiah 48:11:

“The people of Moab have never known trouble. They are like wine left to settle; they have never been poured from one jar to another. They have not been taken into captivity. So they taste as they did before, and their smell has not changed.”

So, what does being poured from one jar into another mean? At first, it seems insignificant, but I had to research it to understand the picture.

THE WINE JAR EXPLAINED

In ancient times, wine was stored in clay jars. As it rested, sediment settled at the bottom. The good stuff at the top, the less below, and the crappy stuff on the bottom. To separate the wine from that sediment, winemakers carefully poured it into another jar. This process helped clarify the wine.

God was comparing Moab to wine that had never been poured. They had enjoyed years of relative peace and prosperity, so they had become comfortable, proud, and self-sufficient. Nothing had really shaken them, and nothing about their attitudes had changed. God was warning them that judgment was coming.

Now, think about that for a moment. How often are you and I the same way? When our health is good, our bills are paid, our relationships are peaceful, and everything seems to be going our way, how much do we really think about changing? How dependent are we on God? Are we still challenged to grow, improve, and become more like Him?

Then something happens. Suddenly, we’re being poured into another jar, and we don’t like it—not even a little bit.

We want our old jar back. We want things the way they were, and we want God to fix everything so we can feel comfortable again.

THE PURPOSE OF HARD TIMES

But here’s what I’ve been thinking: **What if God can use the very circumstances we’re asking Him to remove to change something in us that desperately needs changing? Trust me, with Wendy’s brain tumor, my new knee surgery coming up, the possibility of leukemia returning in my life - and who knows what else, well, it’s a real thing to us.

Is it possible that God could be revealing our pride, selfishness, or need to control everything. Perhaps we have become so comfortable that we’ve stopped growing spiritually.

I’m not suggesting that every hardship is punishment from God. That’s not what Scripture teaches. However, James 1 tells us that trials can develop perseverance and maturity.

I certainly don’t have this all figured out, but when I look back over my life, I can see that some of my greatest lessons came through circumstances I would never have chosen for myself.

CONCLUSION

So let me leave you with this question: Are you allowing the difficulties in your life to make you bitter, or are you allowing God to use them to make you better?

And here’s another question: Why wait for difficulties to change us? Why not ask God right now to show us what needs to change?

Because maybe the greatest danger isn’t being poured into another jar. Maybe it’s becoming so comfortable in the jar we’re in that we never recognize what has settled at the bottom.

LORD, show me what needs to change in my life. Help me not to become so comfortable that I stop growing. When life gets difficult, help me trust You and allow You to use those circumstances to make me more like Jesus. Protect my heart from bitterness and pride. IJNIP amen ♥️