Inspiring Pasta...

Let's be clear- it is not my words that prompted the title of this post.  The source of the title is the content of 2 Corinthians 4.

When I think about new testament books that are just full of verses that I find inspiring and motivating, 2 Corinthians is not at the top of the list.  The gospels, Hebrews, Romans, 1 John... those are books that leap to mind when I think about great sources of pithy scripture that you just want to commit to memory as soon as you read it.  And perhaps not all of 2 Corinthians is like chapter 4.  But wow.  Paul was hitting on all cylinders when he wrote 2 Corinthians 4.  (I do not mean to say that some scriptures are more valuable than others- I hope you are catching my meaning here.  I just mean that sometimes you find verses that say just exactly what you need and say it well.)

Here in 2 Corinthians 4 we find an oasis of "life verses" and "highlightable" scripture.  Let's take a quick look back at some.

Jars of Clay (4:7)

We had a great discussion of that one on Sunday.  This verse just fascinates me.  It is another one of those "backward logic" things that God does so often.  If we have something we consider valuable, we put it in a protective container.  We want there to be a buffer between that valuable thing and the outside world.  But God does just the opposite.  He takes the most valuable treasure in all of creation- the truth of Jesus Christ- and places it inside these weak, frail, breakable containers...us.  You and me.  From a human point of view, the logic is backwards!  And that is what I love so much about God's logic- its not human.

The treasure is greater than the container- that is certain.  Paul says that it is so in order that we might know that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from ourselves.  This all connects back to what Paul has been saying about his confidence in proclaiming the gospel.  We are weak and flawed vessels, but God has placed this treasure inside of us.  And because of what we carry inside of us, the "container" might just prove to be a little more resilient than what you might think!  Consider verses 8-9...

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 

Here we arrive at another "memory-worthy" idea in 2 Corinthians 4.  Because of God's all-surpassing power, (v. 7), these jars of clay might just be a little tougher than what you might expect!  This treasure we carry inside has a sustaining quality to it that goes beyond our circumstances!  We are "hard pressed", "perplexed", "persecuted", "struck down"... but none of that has any permanent effect!  None of that destroys the jar of clay! 

Perhaps we need to approach our day that way.  Perhaps we need to think, "I may be a jar of clay, but because of what is inside of me, I am one tough jar of clay!"   Those who carry Christ inside themselves are not like the rest of the world.  We do not fall apart when there is pressure or difficulty.  I don't mean to say we are unaffected- we are.  But looked at the scripture... "hard pressed but not crushed", "perplexed but not in despair", "persecuted but not abandoned",  "struck down but not destroyed."  If a jar of clay can go through all of that and come out in one piece, then there is something special about that jar of clay.  And that is exactly Paul's point!  There is something special about these jars of clay!  The contents!  The truth of the gospel!  The all-surpassing power of God!

Whew.  Got excited there.

You know, there is more in my mind that I could write, but I don't want this to turn into the Iliad.  There is the whole concept of carrying in our body the death of Jesus, (v. 10).  There is "I believed therefore I have spoken", (v. 13).  There is all of 16-18.  Wow.  

So here is the deal.  I am going to wrap this up for now with the thought, but not the promise, that there could be a SECOND BLOG POST THIS WEEK!!!!  TWO IN ONE WEEK!!! GASP!!!!

So lets leave today's post with this thought- let's hit the day thinking, "I might be a jar of clay, but I am one tough jar of clay... because of the all-surpassing power of God."

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon