JARS OF CLAY
‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us’. (2Corinth 4:7)
This description by Paul of a Christian aptly captures the contrast that characterizes us. Within us is the most precious commodity that can be had- faith in Christ leading to eternal salvation. Yet this precious commodity is contained within our physical lives that are temporal, defective and decaying, hence referred to as ‘jars of clay’.
Two applications follow. One, suffering and pain is inevitable for every human being and Christians are no exception. When preachers would have you believe that Christians ought to lay claim to the best of worldly experiences and command away every adversity, nothing can be farther from the truth. Paul goes on to explain this verse in the context of suffering that envelops a Christian and takes him to the extremes. But through those experiences what shines forth is the triumph of Christ who lives within us as the centerpiece of that wonderful treasure.
Second, this contrasting depiction leads a Christian to put away all pride and self-exaltation and come to a recognition that anything worthwhile within him is not his own but from God. How easy it is to come to a conclusion that we are privileged and special; yet the ‘jars of clay’ will remind us time and again as we see our worldly trophies tumble and our treasured possessions taken away from us that it is God alone who deserves to be exalted.
I have come to the end of this post and almost a year of blogging. At twice a week, it has been challenging to keep up with the demands of the blog in view of the fact that my regular job keeps me quite busy. Yet, God has been faithful and he has sustained my effort. I plan to take a break for a month and wont be writing during August. I hope to resume in September. Thank you for reading and a special thank you to those who have taken time to comment and introduce this blog to others. May the Lord be with you!
