Too Weak, Really? (part two)

(Thanks for being here but please read the previous post before reading this one.)

OK…so…I just told you that YOU’re too strong in all those examples where you thought YOU were too weak.  Let me tell you what I heard the Shepherd say.

He says that He has always known that YOU and I are weak.  It’s really never been God’s intention that you do ANYthing because of YOUr strength.  YOU and I are the “earthen vessels” — the fragile clay jars in which God has put the “treasure“.

The “treasure” is “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” In other words, what God has “shone in our hearts” is the good news of Jesus — the gospel of His love and power for us who will believe. What makes you strong is not YOU.  YOU and I are just weak, fragile clay jars.  It’s what is on the INSIDE that gives us STRENGTH — the knowledge of the glory of God that we find IN CHRIST.  It is what is on the INSIDE that makes the DIFFERENCE.

What is the DIFFERENCE?  The Shepherd had Paul explain the difference in the next two verses.

(Did you click on the link and read what the Shepherd told Paul to write?)

So, the DIFFERENCE is that we fragile clay jars may get tossed around and abused by the ways of the world but we don’t break!  We’re not crushed!  Pretty AMAZING for “fragile clay jars” don’t you think!?  Oh, we may suffer a crack now and then but that’s OK ’cause we don’t BREAK!  I guess you could say that it was God’s intention that we be “cracked pots for Jesus”!  In fact, the cracks just let the LIGHT of the knowledge of the glory of God shine through all the more!

And that’s what God has always wanted!  As you already read in verse 7, God wanted this “surpassing greatness of the power” to always be seen as being HIS power and not from yourSELF.

What was that?  What did you just think?  Oh…were you thinking that more often than not you are “crushed”, “despairing”, feeling “forsaken” and “destroyed” by the troubles of this world?  Yeah, I can relate to that.  But I’m going to tell you tomorrow why we sometimes feel that way.

Listening for His encouragement…