Clay Vessels in the Potter's Hands

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-12 ESV)

In the previous verses, Paul was talking about him and Timothy and their ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He explained that they did not do what was crooked, nor deceitful, nor cunning, nor underhanded in any way. And they did not alter, distort, nor tamper with the truth of the gospel in any way, either. But they were honest and upright, and they taught the truth. And they did not promote themselves, nor did they try to draw large crowds of people from the world to themselves, but they were humble men of God.

And then I like what Paul said next, which is the passage quoted above. He said that they have this treasure – this calling from God, this ministry for the gospel of Christ, this knowledge of God and of his word – in jars of clay. And what does that symbolize? What immediately comes to my mind is we, as believers in Jesus Christ, being clay in the hands of the Potter (God) who he shapes and molds into his likeness, as we cooperate with him in his work of grace in our lives. We are that clay being molded to be like Jesus.

We are earthen vessels in the hands of the Potter, mere human beings who are flesh and blood and who are all born with sin natures in the image of Adam. So it is only by the grace of God that any of us can be made into holy vessels useful for the Master’s work. There is nothing in our human flesh that makes us worthy of God and of his grace or that qualifies us to be called his servants and his messengers. And not one of us can even believe in Jesus unless God the Father first draws us to Christ (persuades us).

So what was Paul saying with that statement? He was saying that none of what they did in the name of the Lord was produced through their own flesh. Amen! What came from their mouths when they were teaching the truth of the gospel came from God and not from within their own flesh. And this was to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to them. They did not take credit for themselves for what God was doing in and through them for his purposes and for his glory. So all the glory went to God!

And I can identify with that. I know that I would not even be here today doing what I am doing in obedience to my Lord and to his calling upon my life if the Lord had not first taken me through many trials and tribulations to prepare me for this ministry, and to humble me, and in order to train me in righteousness. He had a lot of work to do in my life before he even would call me to this ministry, and I was 54 years old when he called me 20 years ago. So all the glory goes to God and not any to me. I am just clay.

For if our ministry is truly of God, then we will be called of God, and we will be equipped of God, and we will be led of the Holy Spirit and not of our own flesh, and not of other humans and their marketing schemes and gimmicks. We won’t be looking to humans to tell us how to do what we are doing, but we will be listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, and we will follow the Lord where he leads us in doing and in saying what he wants us to do and say, when and where. So he gets all the glory!

But going right along with these callings of God to ministry are persecutions. And some of our greatest persecutors and opposition may be from within the gatherings of what are called “churches.” For not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ is of genuine faith in the Lord, following him in his ways, doing what he commands us to do. And many are now following after other humans and their marketing schemes and are being led by human thinking rather than by the Holy Spirit in what they do in the way of ministry.

It appears that the majority of those calling themselves “Christians,” here in America, seem to be followers of man over followers of God. So, many of them are buying into these marketing schemes, and into these diluted and altered gospels, which are intended to tickle itching ears and to appease the flesh, and so they are not denying self and dying to sin daily and following Jesus in obedience to his commands. So some of them end up being those who persecute us who are walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

But if we are truly being persecuted for the sake of the gospel, and for the sake of righteousness and holiness, then we are blessed. And even though we will go through difficult times when others (even some or many of whom may profess to believe in Jesus) are mistreating us and misjudging us and rejecting and ignoring us because of our walks of faith, our Lord will be with us and he will give us the strength and endurance to survive and to keep pressing forward and to not fail and to not give up hope.

For to this we are called. We are destined to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. And if we are not being persecuted for our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, and for our service to him, then something is wrong. For as his servants we are to always to be carrying in our bodies the death of Jesus, and not just related to his persecutions, but in his putting sin to death with him so that we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness, in obedience to his commands, in his power, strength, and wisdom.

For our death to sin and to self, by the grace of God, and our willingness to face persecutions for the sake of the gospel, and to humble ourselves, is so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies – in our minds, hearts, attitudes, words, and actions (behaviors). This does not make us perfect people, for we are still clay in the Potter’s hands, but not one of us should still be living according to the flesh walking in sin and refusing to obey our Lord and his commands to us. But we are to all be dead to our old lives.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23; Titus 2:11-14]

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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