Jars of Clay
Today’s Treasure
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11
There’s a saying that goes, “I always knew I would get older, I just never expected to get here this fast!” As I have always told my children, one minute you’re 20; and the next 40! That is the nature of life. We grow old and frail; we get tired and weary.
In 2 Corinthians 4, the apostle Paul addresses this process perfectly, but with an added encouragement that we have access for the power of God to reign within us. He compares our bodies to jars of clay that have an opportunity to show the treasure that is housed within us. The key to this Scripture is that while our bodies may fail, and troubles may abound, our treasure lies within and what is inside will seep out during trying times.
Back in biblical times, clay jars were common, unimportant, temporary, and expendable. They were delicate and would crack easily. (Sounds a lot like us).
Paul does not say that our treasure is contained in gold boxes. No! The treasure is contained in clay pots aka our fragile bodies. What a relief! And the treasure is the gospel message within us. We can be assured that our flaws show the flawless gospel. When things go awry, whether sickness, unexpected tragedy, or just the trials of everyday life, it should be the light of Christ that shines through us.
Paul is saying when you have a personal relationship with the Lord, you possess His power from within. The word power means “dunamis”—"dynamite.” The power is in the message that comes out of us, not in the clay jar. God will do great and mighty things with a broken open vessel.
My oldest son died suddenly ten days before Christmas. The night before his funeral, our entire family was afflicted with a horrific, debilitating stomach illness. All except me.
I remember the panic that spread through my mind as we had just come home from the viewing. I implored the Lord for a healing and my mind couldn’t fathom the incomprehensible thought of canceling or attending my son’s funeral without my family by my side. It was deeply perplexing.
The next morning, I put my hands on what I could—delay the service and get some anti-nausea medicine from a Doctor friend. And then I placed my knees to the floor and prayed for that which I had no control.
So, with sadness of heart and the weight of all the “what if’s” of the day on my shoulders, I left for the church in a limousine--alone. Prayerfully imploring healing for the rest of my family and hoping upon all hope that they would join me. It was one of the most desolate moments of my life.
But it was right there, on that 15- minute ride to the church, that I encountered the ministering power of the Holy Spirit, and Emmanuel “God with us,” took over. My experience can best be expressed in Psalm 138:
When I called, You answered me, you greatly emboldened me.
Psalm 138:3
I entered that church a cracked vessel, but what seeped out of me was the power of the Holy Spirit—His might and His strength carried me with such inner confidence and peace that I am astounded to this day.
Gratefully, every member of my family eventually made it and God was glorified in the church service. But I will never forget the power of His presence that surrounded me—“hard pressed but not crushed.”
LIFE GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Always remember even when things around us begin to fail, God never fails. It is His power that will be best seen when we are in the throngs of our weaknesses. We are all “cracked pots,” and it is His scarred hands that are waiting to strengthen us with His might and power. It is our job to fill ourselves with living water so when the cracks begin to be visible the Word pours out.
PRAYER
Father, I thank You for Your faithfulness of being the treasure that lives within me. I ask that when life gets tossed upside down that it is YOU that those around me see, as YOU hold me right side up.
