Dear Church of the Open Bible,
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” - 2 Corinthians 4:7
The treasure Paul refers to in this verse is the light and gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. 4:5-6). The jars of clay are you and me. We typically secure treasure in fancy or solid boxes and chests, but not God. He puts this treasure in finite and fragile jars. Why? To more prominently reveal His power and glory. Are you okay with being an expendable, weak, finite, jar of clay? Do you try to pretend that you’re not?
Here is a little note from Doug and Heather Howard that speaks to this truth:
“We want to thank the people of the church for their prayers for us as we go through these difficult times. We know God hears and has been very gracious to us. I am so thankful Heather's heart problem was dealt with before she had a heart attack. I never would have been able to save her, being rather, totally dependent on her. And we are so thankful my gastric surgery went so well. The surgeon was so pleased that he recommended only 2 weeks away from the pool rather than the 6 to 8 weeks we were expecting.
Come and talk to me and let's together give God our praise. I would like to claim 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 and 16-18. Check it out. It's as if it were written just for a person with ALS.
I would like to quote Dr. Paul Brand: ‘I pray that when my time comes I may not grumble that my body has worn out too soon, but hold on to gratitude that I have been so long at the helm of the most wonderful creation the world has ever known, and look forward to meeting its designer face to face.’”