Wednesday, April 13, 2011

TREASURE IN CLAY JARS

The Lord makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And we are servants for Jesus’ sake.

God has made His Light shine in our hearts so we can know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we are like fragile clay jars.
This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not ourselves.

We are pressed on every side by troublesbut we are NOT crushed.
We are perplexedbut NOT driven to despair.
We are hunted downbut NEVER abandoned by God.
We get knocked down but we are NOT destroyed.

Through suffering, we continue to share in the death of Jesus.
But, the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.

We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to Himself.

That is why we NEVER GIVE UP.

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.
Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

So don’t look at the troubles.
Rather, let us fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.

For we live by believing and not by seeing.

For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last FOREVER!


(Taken from 2 Corinthians 3 & 4)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

7 comments:

  1. Hi Sharon -

    Wow! How amazing...

    Minutes ago, I just told a sister in Christ NOT to focus on what Satan is doing but on what she can do in Christ... Then I came here and read this, "So don’t look at the troubles."

    Glory to GOD for how He confirms, and proves His Words!!!

    Also, I love this that you expressed, "Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!"

    Hearty Amens on this piece, Sharon - hearty Amens indeed.

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  2. Hi Sharon

    I was reading 2 Corinthians 4 a lot last week, and had pondered on verse seven for some time.

    Still pondering at the moment on many things.

    God bless.

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  3. Amen!!! We will not be shaken, we will wait upon the Lord indeed!!

    betty

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  4. You happen to have included one of my favorite passages of scripture. Since I'm a drama queen, I love the whole "pressed but not crushed" part...

    There's a praise song using this scripture that I have loved for years. "I'm Trading My Sorrows". Do you know it?

    I'm humming it in my head now.
    I'll probably start singing any minute.

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  5. Great meditation as we head into Easter week, Palm Sunday, the Passion, and the Resurrection.

    Good exhortation, Sharon.

    Blessings,
    Janis

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  6. Sandra - God is a Master at timing, isn't He?! You get the most wonderful confirmations from Him! Doing my best to focus on the glory!

    Kerrie - It is definitely a verse to ponder on. I am often so humbled that God has chosen to use imperfect humans (me being one of the more imperfect ones) to do His work and spread His message. It is a tremendous privilege, yes - but also a weighty responsibility. It is only in His strength that I am able. And that, actually, is precisely what I think He's trying to do - to show that His glory is so glorious, that it even shows through clay!!

    Betty - Been a little stirred up lately, but in HIS power, not shaken!! Praise to Him, our glorious Lord - the One who renews us every day, and will keep us forever!

    Debbie - Oh, I love that part!! It is warrior talk, and I love speaking the strong stuff, even when I'm feeling particularly weak! I'm not familiar with that song - will google it, and get the lyrics. I think I hear singing, and I'm swaying and bobbing my head...

    Wanda - Thank you. No better word than that from the Word!!

    Janis - I saw a quote on a school marquee the other day. It was said by Jonathan Swift. It reminded me of these verses: "Vision is the art of seeing the invisible." Sounds like a great definition of faith, huh?!

    GOD BLESS!

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

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