"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ...
For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.". 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 & 16
One will expect that a treasure should be kept in a fine vessel isn't it?
But...
Imagine keeping gold in a clay pot.
When we speak of earthen vessels.
It simply refers to clay pots or jars and I'm sure we're familiar with that.
In the scripture given above, we as humans are likened to the earthen vessel. We are frail in ourselves and we are weak.
Yet, God chose to keep a treasure in us.
Is that not great?
What is this treasure then?
Reading from earlier verses, It is the Light and knowledge of Christ!
The precious gift of the Holy Ghost is a treasure and God chose us to host this gift.
What is the man that He is mindful of?...
This is a great privilege and gift we must hold so dear to us.
God chose to do this in other to reveal His power through us.
Wow!
Such a great privilege to be an extension of His love, life and power to the world!!!
TPT version says "We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours."
So, all that God has given us in Christ Jesus is so that He can be revealed and seen.
It is not to make us boastful because it's only a privilege by grace.
It should rather make us humble as we live in continual acknowledgement of His grace at work in us.
"...Not by works, lest any man should boast..."
The workings and manifestations of the Spirit in or through us are for His glory
Whatever God has put in you, made you be is not necessarily because of you or even for you but for Him, for His work, because of Him.
What should be our response then?
Our responses should come as Acknowledgement.
Gratitude.
He knows you're weak, He knows your inadequacies. Yet, He chose to place His treasure in you.
It is not humility to deny what He's done!
It is not humility to deny what He's entrusted to you
So, in acknowledging, you live in full awareness and consciousness of what He has embedded in you ( The Christ, The Holy Ghost, divine gifts, potentials and all)
Peter was that timid guy who denied Jesus but in the consciousness of the Holy Ghost, he became bold enough to preach and several got converted.
Mary was frail, young and tender yet God chose her womb to birth the saviour.
God place the treasure of redemption in her earthly womb!
And because she knew it was His power that is at work in her, it was to the glory of His name. It became possible for her to carry it unashamedly!
After all, He uses the weak things of this world to confound the mighty.
For His strength is made perfect in our weakness
Gratitude
Imagine life without Christ.
Imagine living without the Holy Ghost.
Just imagine this for a few seconds...
It should cause you to express gratitude to Him but beyond doing that in words or songs, you do that by life!
Whatever gift or potential you feel you have without Christ, without the Holy Ghost is simply a waste, of no kingdom profit.
Part of gratitude is maximizing the treasure kept in you.
The knowledge & life of Christ, the power of the Holy Ghost.
It should cause us to live sober i.e with a sense of responsibility and accountability...
Gratitude should fuel us into commitment.
The verses below talked about the many persecutions the Apostles went through yet they were standing firm, revealing the power of God to the world, dispensing His life and light.
8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.
9 We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out.
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own body so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
12 So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.
Such a level of commitment!
Such a high level of gratitude!
See this phrase "Quitting is not an option"
They withstood all these so that the treasure they carried can be revealed to the world, and the Excellency of God's power can be manifested through them.
Someone who gave His life for us deserves our life in return...
That's gratitude.
You can do better.
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_By Pst. Faithtestimony Akenroye
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