Object Lesson: Balloon Animals

Balloons are one of the greatest inventions ever. They come in all different shapes and sizes and once you fill them up you can do all sorts of things with them.

However, if you keep the balloon and never fill it up or play with it or decorate with it, it never really fulfills its purpose.

We're kind of like this. God has made us in His image. He created us and He loves us and we are valuable to Him.

However, if we never allow Him to fill us with His Spirit or to mold us into what He wants us to be, we are not fulfilling our purpose.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God doesn't want anybody to perish. That means He wants everybody to come to Him and be filled with His Spirit and be saved.

And, in Jeremiah 18, God asked Israel a question. He asked, "If a potter can turn clay into beautiful creations, can't I do the same with you?" That didn't mean that God was literally going to turn the Israelites into vases or bowls; it meant that if a potter could take a clay creation that was messed up and turn it into something beautiful, then surely God could take a bad situation and turn it good.

God can take any situation in our lives and turn it good, and He can take all of us, all of us who sin and do things that don't please Him, and help us to become what He wants us to be. He can help us become new creations, just like we can turn these balloons into new creations.

Just as these balloons fulfill their purpose when they are filled and shaped into something amazing, let's fulfill our purpose by letting God fill us with His Spirit and by letting Him help us become the kinds of people the Bible tells us to be.