Clay Jars

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7

When Paul wrote this verse about jars of clay, he referred to the common jars of his day. They were everyday vessels, usually chipped, sometimes cracked or possibly broken around the rim. Many were even flawed from the beginning due to an error in their construction. Paul refers to Christians as common clay jars, but then he reminds us that we are filled with a priceless treasure, which is the all-surpassing power of God.

The significance of Paul referring to us as jars of clay is that it illustrates the fact that we are ordinary and defective and have no power or strength of our own (2 Corinthians 4:8). In spite of our shortcomings, however, God chooses us as His vessels of honor anyway. He fills us with His power to accomplish the ministry He calls us to perform. This power also enables us to influence a change in other people, as we share His gospel with the lost and dying world around us.

When we surrender to God, He makes all things new. We are not perfect, but we are forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul’s life is a good example. He was less than perfect. He started out opposing the Kingdom of God. He even had an infirmity, which He begged God to remove. He had the faith for a healing, but God chose to use Paul’s life as an example of His grace. Through God’s refusal to cure him, Paul learned the lesson that God’s power is made strong in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). God uses our weaknesses more than our strengths, because when we are weak in our own abilities, then we are strong in Him and His abilities (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

When we are frail, we are more likely to depend upon God rather than our own gifts and talents. This forces us to center our focus on God instead of our capabilities. This also takes our focus off the flaws in the people around us. When we see our own glaring imperfections, we have more patience with the defects in others. We have more grace with their shortcomings, because God has grace with ours. Then we are more apt to allow the fruit of God’s Spirit to flow through us to the world around us.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need; and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. - Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT)

Thought for the Day:

Through a lifetime of loss and tragedy, our search for peace with God only comes by faith in our reconciliation with God through Jesus on the cross.