Devotion #24

CENTRAL TRUTH: Embracing faith requires a humble heart willing to sacrifice everything for Christ.

BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

This is our ongoing challenge: to deny our personal preferences so that the mystery of Christ is made clear.

I can relate to Paul’s struggles and victories in this. More often than not, when I am frustrated or disappointed with others, my first response is to fix it. When I take time to pursue God’s mind in the matter, the frequent conclusion is that my selfishness overlooked what God wanted to do in me.

When I accept my shortcoming and confess it before God, I experience the victory of growing in righteousness. Sometimes this victory comes through being hard pressed on every side, perplexed but not in despair and even persecuted (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV).

Many times, these frustrations are too frequent and seem too much to bear. But Paul encourages us to not lose heart. Although we may be exhausted, God can use these moments to renew us daily when we look to Him.

Take a few minutes to review today’s passage and consider some of the tensions in your life. Are these tensions bringing about Christ’s righteousness in you, or are you focusing on yourself? Is the mystery of Christ being revealed in these situations, or is selfish ambition the driving force?

Let Christ live in you so that His life in you will be evident, and do not give up. You cannot control when/if others respond to that light, and you do not need to measure your righteousness based on how others respond to Christ in you.

If you have not done so yet, please open your Journey Guide to the corresponding devotion in the Reading Journal section. Journal your thoughts in response to the questions found there, spend some time in prayer, and take a couple of minutes to review this week's Memory Verse.

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Today's Author

Mick Schultz

My name is Mick Schultz. I have been married to my awesome wife, Karen, for 24 years. We have four children: Brett, Craig, Eric and Amanda, who are truly gifts from God and of whom I could not be more proud.

I have served as the Children’s Pastor at New Covenant for five years, and my greatest joy is to see the children and those who serve the children use their talents and gifts to do ministry. I enjoy the outdoors, hunting, sports, and coaching. I also serve on the board of Fellowship of Christian Athletes in hopes of influencing coaches and athletes in Eastern Iowa to pursue a relationship with Christ.

Comments

[Patsy Norem]

That was really encouraging, Mick. In fact, I think I need to post it somewhere so I can see it daily. Thanks.

[Richard Kramer]

“Jars of clay”.
All jars of clay are fragile. (Don’t you dare drop one of them!) Yet jars, because of their purposes, exist in an unsafe environment—according to verses 8-10, one of pressure, confusion, persecution, aggression and destruction. Some jars have tight lids, some have loose lids, and some have no lid at all. Since we are God’s vessels to hold His “treasure,” those without lids easily display the treasure openly for anyone to see. Great! God is glorified publicly. Christ’s mystery is de-mystified. The radiance of the treasure is easily seen, not as an integral part of the jar, but as it has been deposited by God, belonging to God, used for His own pleasure and glory.
Those who have loose-fitting lids need a bit of jiggling or twisting to unseat the lid and reveal the treasure inside. Otherwise, only their close friends would know of the treasure, and God’s wonderful treasure could not be widely observed.
But those with a tight lid, if they stay intact, hide the treasure they contain from everyone. What a shame! Only when they are “hard pressed…struck down” and they crack open--when they are suffering--do they reveal their true contents and it brings glory to God.
The more transparent we are in our lives and in our faith, the more God’s glory can be revealed to a dark world. That may mean that there will be obvious cracks in our pots, cracks that God will choose to use for His purposes. Although we are fragile vessels existing in a dangerous and hostile world, God says He has made it that way intentionally, to show “that this all surpassing power is from God, and not from us”—to show forth His glory!