text: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
I have to admit, I always got Paul’s metaphor wrong. I, as I tend to do, made it all about me. I pictured myself as a crystal clear glass jar with a lump of grey sculpting clay inside. My jar was no fragile vessel. This was thick, sturdy, sparkling glass, able to withstand high temperatures or clumsy hands. And that lump of clay was my life, ready and waiting for God to sculpt me, or more likely, ready and waiting for me to sculpt me into what I thought my life should look like.
As it would be, I’m not made of sturdy, sparkling glass. My vessel is frail. Under the pressure of this world, I crack. And that sculpting I thought I could do with my own life? It broke me. Completely. Exactly how He planned it.
The jar, it turns out, isn’t what we should be occupied with. Benjamin Jowett writes, “There is something wrong when the vessel robs the treasure of its glory…when the picture takes second place to the frame.”
What God places inside our vessel isn’t a shapeless, colorless lump of clay. It’s treasure. The spectacular, brilliant, blinding treasure of the gospel. And He’s entrusted it to our weak, broken jars. Because it’s through our cracks and holes that the Light shines through.
We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
We aren’t beautiful, unbreakable jars holding clay, we are frail, weak jars made of clay. And yet we’re holding God’s richest and most glorious treasure.
Sisters in Christ, let’s thank Him.
Let’s thank Him for our cracks.
Let’s thank Him that outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Let’s thank Him for the light and momentary troubles that are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Let’s thank Him for our fresh start.
From 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers – Father, I'm so delighted that You are both loving and Sovereign, and that You cause all things to work together for good to hose who love You, to those who are called according to Your purpose. So I thank You for each disturbing or humbling situation in my life, for each breaking or cleansing process You are allowing, for each problem or hindrance, for each thing that triggers in me, anxiety or anger or pain. And I thank You in advance for each disappointment, each demanding duty, each pressure, each interruption that may arise in the coming hours and days.
In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off You, I choose not to resist my trials as intruders, but to welcome them as friends.
Thank You that each difficulty is an opportunity to see You work. . .that in Your time You will bring me out to a place of abundance. I rejoice thatnYou plan to enrich and beautify me through each problem, each conflict, each struggle. . .that through them You expose my weaknesses and needs, my hidden sins, my self-centeredness (and especially my self-reliance and pride). Thank You thatnYou use trials to humble me and perfect my faith and produce in me e quality of endurance. . .that they prepare the soil of mymheart for new growth in godliness that You and I both ling to see in me. . .and that my momentary troubles are producing for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, as I keep my eyes focused on You. I'm grateful that Younlookmbeyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, You fulfil my deep-down desire to glorify You, enjoy Your warm fellowship, and become more like Your Son.
God is for you Emily!
What a wonderful message! Being thankful for those light and momentary troubles is something I still am learning. I love the metaphor about the jars being of clay not filled with it. I do have one question, however. this message does not seem to fit with the reading for today? Am i missing something?
N icki
I believe there's a glitch with the You Version app and the scripture is one from the Advent plan? Hope you were able to find the relevant scripture (2 Corinthians 4:7-18) or that the devotional reached you anyway! Maybe this glitch is another crack for His light to shine through!
Great way to look at it Sarah, maybe the glitch is another crack!
Hope you got the intended scripture read, jesusgirl71, I too was very confused but then figure out what had happened.
I read the Matthew verses and every time I read Emanuel (Which means God is with us) my heart breaks a little. It reminds me of what Jesus did and of the amazing truth that he didn’t leave us. He is still with us. Through the good and the unimaginably tough he is with us. Then I read the actual passage and was blown away by how God is not only with us but making use of us. We will not be broken because he is with us!
I loved this today…the whole passage is …poetry. I was also encouraged to not only remember that I am a cracked vessel but others are as well. The poor, the drug user, the prostitute, the abandon child…also carrying around goodness and the love of God because we are ALL created by God..we are all cracked and broked vessels….our cracks are just in different places. So when I look around today…all I will see are treasures.
Love how you apply the cracked vessel to others! What a great insight.
I agree Courtney, it is poetry! I too like how you compared to others, "we are all cracked and broken vessels…" and this line "our cracks are just in different places." Isn't that the truth, we all have something we struggle with each and every last one of us.
WOW! I usually just skim over this passage, 'cause it IS all about ME, right?!
Thank you for making me stay & focus on the precious nugget of golden truth here:
“…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; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. …so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
pressed not crushed
perplexed not despair
persecuted not abandoned
struck down not destroyed — I thought these were just coincidental circumstances I was going through; but NO! they are in my life to point others to Christ. If I get in the way, people will look at my broken vessel instead of watching the awesome Potter who is crafting me.
Did anyone have the wrong verses on the YouVersion part of this? The devotion part was correct, but the verses were Matthew 1:18-25… My YouVersion has been acting up (parts are in Korean now), so maybe it is just my old computer :)
I absolutely love this devotion today, though… Really spoke to me!
My youversion verses were wrong as well and after I tried to go back, the plan exited and said it was complete. Lol. It’s funny because i found that part of Matthew 1: 20 applicable to this devotional “…what is concieved in her is from the holy spirit”. Like this devtional says “we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body”.
I thought the same thing… it was still applicable, but seemed a little off :) Glad my computer hasn't gone COMPLETELY crazy, haha!
What are the right verses? i couldn't find the right ones anywhere.
The verses for today are 2 Corinthians 4:7-18. I found them on the header at the top of this page :)
Thanks for saying something…it was crazy. I went thru a back door to get here.
mine isn't working either. I had to bust out my actual Bible to read the passage. I got the wrong selection, right devotion, and it wouldn't let me click "done" at the end.
Also it won't let me switch to NIV.
Oh, and now the entire plan is gone from my dashboard. That is lovely :(
Yer the last devotion has no bible passage so you version think its finished…I had to restart it. Or just use the website for the final day!
June 1999 our daughter graduated as valedictorian …June 2000… Our son graduated as a valedictorian. People asked us to teach parenting classes. (I declined, I knew better)… Sept 19, I sat looking at my sons casket, my daughter to my right, with her partner holding her hand. I tell people we don’t look good on paper but it comes down to one thing. “Do I trust my children with God”.?
Yes…my point? It’s all been to break me. To humble me to the point of relying on what God has I store for this expressive woman. I am looked down upon for my belief that the govt is not what they seem, by liberals and Christians. But it’s ok, the scripture was perfect this morning.
Prayers for all that are going through tough times,
Em
Emily, sister in Christ, your post was amazing. You have been challenged in ways that humble me. I grieve with you over your son's death. I sense the pain re:your daughter. And I hear in your words your strong intention to be faithful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Martina, it's been quite something. I really need to write a book. I need to get well first ;)
If you google Tim Pittsford his YouTube vid will come up on a PC or laptop. You can meet us ;).
Not sure if anyone else is having technical difficulties but on the YouVersion app it says today’s reading is from Matthew 1 and the blog link links to yesterday’s post. Just FYI. Not sure if this is She Reads Truth’s issue to resolve or YouVersion’s.
I had this same problem and was soooo confused but once I figured out I had read the incorrect passage, I just looked it up online and NOW it makes sense.