Paul brings an image of life and death to light in these verses: For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  ⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For 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.  2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Jars of clay were made to carry simple every day necessities of life, like water and flour. Without water and flour people could not live.

What do we carry in our body, in the jars of clay God has crafted us to be? Do we carry the death of Christ in our body so that the life of Christ might be manifested even more? Do we understand that our bodies are temporary vessels, being given over to the life of Christ day by day? Do we long to more fully understand the potter’s hand, the hand and mind of God who said, “let light shine out of darkness.” Do we long to be crafted, molded and shaped into life?

We are tempted to carry our own complex stuff in our jars of clay, to treasure stuff of our own creation, not the simple every day necessity of the death and life of Christ. Do we carry fear of affliction being crushed or perplexed or persecution? Paul faced those temptations but would not allow that which was passing to override the death and life of Christ in his life. Paul said, I’m glad we faced death, because then we had to rely fully on God not on ourselves.

What do we carry in our body, in the jars of clay God has molded us into? I don’t know what you carry, but I know what I carry in my body. I know that I don’t need IT! IT! weighs me down, causes fear and a tightening of control around my heart and soul because I think I need to protect myself from something. God’s word calls us to NEWK-IT!, that is to allow his word to help us identify and explode out of our lives whatever it is that keeps us from only carrying the death and life of Christ in these clay pots with which he has blessed us.

God’s word calls us to throw off everything that entangles us, to put off the old and put on the new. May he give us a holy longing to learn how to place the burdens we carry into the hands of the potter. May he give us a holy longing to carry only the death and life of Christ in our body and throw off the stuff we carry. May he give us a holy longing to allow the life of Christ to continually be manifested and to come to life in our life, heart, soul, body and spirit.

May God grant us courage to carry Christ only in our body. May God grant us boldness to call on him to take away the stuff we carry. May God grant us wisdom and discernment. Blessings IN Christ, Cindy

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