February 21, 2022 – Monday
2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Comment.
On Friday’s Verse of The Day, the comments ended with, “This is where it is good to close with the next verse expressing this idea, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. God is the potter and we are the clay.” The idea being expressed was that we did not want to become like the man Guzik described, Imagine a man in a sunny room who enjoys the sunshine so much he wants to keep it all to himself. He says, “I’ll shut the curtains so that none of this light gets out!” and puts himself back into darkness. When we try to hoard up the light within ourselves, we will certainly lose it. And we are to share it. We did not deserve it in the first place, and it is arrogant to try to keep it for ourselves alone.
But a few comments from readers leads me want to share some more on verse 7, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. First, it is amazing God chooses to put His light and glory (His treasure) within us, the jars of clay. Chooses, continues to do so, to this very day in the sense that we believers are all jars of clay with the knowledge of the immeasurable gift of mercy and grace. All of us who have accepted Christ have this wonderful treasure inside of us.
And least we misconstrue what the verse is saying about us, Charles Stanley comments, When we think that we must be strong and capable in order to serve God, we miss the point of how He works entirely. We are like jars of clay—common, weak, and valued by what we contain. It is Christ in us who gives us worth, power, wisdom, and joy. And when He accomplishes His will through us, He does so in a manner that is far above and beyond our human abilities so that others will see what He has done and want to know Him, too.
It was not uncommon to store treasure, gold and silver coins and precious gems in nondescript jars of clay the first century A.D. The owner knew where they were and what they contained, but no one else did. God chose to do something similar and very different. God chooses nondescript containers as well – people, believers, fragile human beings, as containers of His great treasure, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The difference is that He wants us to share the treasure, the light of God’s mercy and grace through the gospel of Jesus. Thus, whatever good works He has us involved in, the good works are not to bring us any glory, but to bring God glory by sharing the treasure He has given us, salvation through the light of His Son Jesus.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Guide me in sharing the wonderful light of the gospel of Jesus and His sacrifice to pay the price for all of our sins so that we will one day have a home in heaven. Thank you for using us to share His good news with others. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek