But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ( 2 Corinthians 4:7 )
God has chosen to put His glory on display, as we own the ministry to which we have been called to preach Christ Jesus the Lord! In so doing, we are blessed…no, abundantly blessed…to be the “earthen vessels” in which the glory of God is on display! In this way, God shows His power in us and through us.
My ever increasing experiences as a Christian clearly remind me of how weak and frail we are. Even during times of continuing blessings in the ministry there are always just enough reminders of our weakness to keep us humble and dependent. When prone to discouragement because of the decaying nature of our “earthen vessels,” we can be reminded that this temporal condition is being used by God to make Himself known, and “worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”!
Be encouraged! No matter what the struggle or hardship, an obedient child of God, can be assured that God desires to use our “earthen vessels” to display nothing less than His own glory!
I realize that you too may have evidence of some early efforts with pottery. Very likely, your ceramic bowl is much better and nicer than mine. Regardless, someday, these little poorly made pottery bowls will crumble…and that will be final. But those trusting in Christ are assured that when these “earthen vessels” crumble, it is not final! This earthly display of God’s glory will be gone, but we have a new one waiting, permanent, “eternal in the heavens”!
But what all the wisdom of man was unable to do, was in due time done by the wisdom of God. When it pleased God to give an account of the origin of things, and of man in particular, all the darkness vanished away, and the clear light shone. "God said, Let us make man in our own image." It was done. In the image of God man was made. Hence we are enabled to give a clear, satisfactory account of the greatness, the excellency, the dignity of man. But "man, being in honour" did not continue therein, but rebelled against his sovereign Lord. Hereby he totally lost, not only the favour, but likewise the image of God. And "in Adam all died." For fallen "Adam begat a son in his own likeness." And hence we are taught to give a clear, intelligible account of the littleness and baseness of man. He is sunk even below the beasts that perish. Human nature now is not only sensual but devilish. There is in every man born into the world a "carnal mind, which is enmity," direct enmity, "against God."
But suppose it pleased the all-wise Creator, for the sin of man, to suffer the souls of men in general to be weighed down in this miserable manner by their corruptible body; why does he permit the excellent treasure which he has entrusted to his own children, to be still lodged in these poor earthen vessels?" Would not this question naturally occur to any reflecting mind? Perhaps it would; and therefore the Apostle immediately furnishes us with a full answer: God has done this, that "the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of us;" that it might be undeniably plain to whom that excellent power belonged; that no flesh might glory in his sight; but that all who have received this treasure might continually cry, "Not unto us, but unto thee, O Lord, be the praise, for thy name and for thy truth's sake."
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