Jars of Clay
It's past two AM and I'm up (and sober) sipping on honeyed tea cause of his sore throat/hoarse voice that's making me sound like a ninety-year old smoker. I'm officially on bed rest, doctors orders, unofficially catching up on reading, writing and assignments every time I can manage to hold a book or pen up before the meds knock me out.
Been quite busy these past few weeks. I'm still shocked by how busy pastors can be, and to think that I'm only a junior! But above all the mid-week services, the all night services, the late night meetings, the weekends away from home, I still love my job. I love everytime I step off the podium having poured out everything God had poured in with all the strength and heart I had in me. And so I really missed work tonight.
So pastors go to doctors too? Yep. They miss work cause they sick? Yep. Pastors are human too, they're jars of clay carrying God's treasure just as Paul said. What I love most about that Scripture is how Paul points out that there's a very good reason why such a great misery is hosted by such fragile vessels:
"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 (emphasis mine)
God purposely gave the message of the gospel to frail humans instead of angels because they were the best candidates to portray His power. When people looked at all that they achieve because of the gospel, when they looked at the fruit of the message they preached in the people they preached it to, they would know that there's an all-powerful, almighty God behind it all because they know all too well the infirmities and frailities of this body. In other words, as God spoke to Paul, His power is made perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9.)
Does this mean we succumb to sickness and deny the teaching of healing? Not one bit! Paul was very verbal about his displeasure concerning the thorn in his flesh. Let's go back to 2 Corinthians 4 and look at the attitude of the "jars of clay" as portrayed in the following verses: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We are always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body."
What on earth does Paul mean with that last verse? It's quite simple really, it means we go through stuff, painful, perplexing, destructive stuff simply to reveal God's power which leaves us victorious in the end. We go through difficulties, we get to the other side, we don't die there, because there is a power in us that we too sometimes don't understand.
I love how Peter puts it, especially in bringing understanding to that last verse. He's talking to slaves in 1 Peter 2:18 down, but I know most believer has only marked and memorized the later part of verse 24 in this chapter, we'll get to it. Peter explains how it is only commendable to bear up the pain of suffering because one is conscious of God. In other words, we only benefit from suffering if we're suffering for doing good, if we're suffering for knowing and acknowledging good/God (check Luke 18:19 and James 1:17, God defines that which is good), and if we know and acknowledge good/God in our suffering.
He goes on to say this verse, verse 21, which I've been meditating on: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
This is the death of Christ that we are always carrying around in our bodies that Paul talks about. But it doesn't end there, we also carry His life in these bodies, in fact, as Paul put is, we carry His death so that His life may be revealed in our bodies, that's where your favorite verse comes in. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live in righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
Living in righteousness, following in his steps, will lead to suffering and persecution and when that comes, his life and power will be made known through my healing.
So like the apostle, I delight in my weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Been quite busy these past few weeks. I'm still shocked by how busy pastors can be, and to think that I'm only a junior! But above all the mid-week services, the all night services, the late night meetings, the weekends away from home, I still love my job. I love everytime I step off the podium having poured out everything God had poured in with all the strength and heart I had in me. And so I really missed work tonight.
So pastors go to doctors too? Yep. They miss work cause they sick? Yep. Pastors are human too, they're jars of clay carrying God's treasure just as Paul said. What I love most about that Scripture is how Paul points out that there's a very good reason why such a great misery is hosted by such fragile vessels:
"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 (emphasis mine)
God purposely gave the message of the gospel to frail humans instead of angels because they were the best candidates to portray His power. When people looked at all that they achieve because of the gospel, when they looked at the fruit of the message they preached in the people they preached it to, they would know that there's an all-powerful, almighty God behind it all because they know all too well the infirmities and frailities of this body. In other words, as God spoke to Paul, His power is made perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9.)
Does this mean we succumb to sickness and deny the teaching of healing? Not one bit! Paul was very verbal about his displeasure concerning the thorn in his flesh. Let's go back to 2 Corinthians 4 and look at the attitude of the "jars of clay" as portrayed in the following verses: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We are always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body."
What on earth does Paul mean with that last verse? It's quite simple really, it means we go through stuff, painful, perplexing, destructive stuff simply to reveal God's power which leaves us victorious in the end. We go through difficulties, we get to the other side, we don't die there, because there is a power in us that we too sometimes don't understand.
I love how Peter puts it, especially in bringing understanding to that last verse. He's talking to slaves in 1 Peter 2:18 down, but I know most believer has only marked and memorized the later part of verse 24 in this chapter, we'll get to it. Peter explains how it is only commendable to bear up the pain of suffering because one is conscious of God. In other words, we only benefit from suffering if we're suffering for doing good, if we're suffering for knowing and acknowledging good/God (check Luke 18:19 and James 1:17, God defines that which is good), and if we know and acknowledge good/God in our suffering.
He goes on to say this verse, verse 21, which I've been meditating on: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
This is the death of Christ that we are always carrying around in our bodies that Paul talks about. But it doesn't end there, we also carry His life in these bodies, in fact, as Paul put is, we carry His death so that His life may be revealed in our bodies, that's where your favorite verse comes in. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live in righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
Living in righteousness, following in his steps, will lead to suffering and persecution and when that comes, his life and power will be made known through my healing.
So like the apostle, I delight in my weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
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