Broken and Glorious

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

2 Corinthians 4:7

There are times when I am overcome with my inadequacies, my faults and insufficiencies. While there are many other people much more qualified and able than I am, God still chooses to use me. Why does God find pleasure in using me in my weakness? How is it that God uses me inabilities to bring Him glory?

"But we have this treasure..."

This treasure refers the glorious Gospel of Christ (4:4), the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (4:6). And it is this priceless treasure of surpassing value that I hold. I have this treasure.

"...in jars of clay..."

In Greek, the word for "jars of clay" literally refers to cheap, baked clay pots which were used for holding garbage and human waste. They were expendable, easily replaceable, and common. Worthless. They were not beautiful or glorious, simply used to hold filth. I am this jar of clay. I am like a lowly, cheap pot: unimportant, common, replaceable. And still God chooses ME to be the bearer of His glorious Gospel!

"...to show that the surpassing power belongs to God..."

God uses lowly, unworthy people like me so that others can only conclude that the power of the Gospel is from God. The all-glorious power of God overcomes and outshines the jar of clay... so all that's left to be seen is God's glory. God doesn't use me because of my abilities, He uses me in spite of my inabilities. He is most glorified to put Jesus on display through my weakness.

"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."

I often try to cover up weakness for the purpose of appearing strong. I do my best to make myself as glorious as possible. But when others see me as glorious, they can't see Christ as glorious. So, sometimes God humbles me. He brings suffering and adversity into my life. Because through every struggle, every trial, every persecution, I am left more cracked than I was before. And the more cracked I am, the more God's glory shines through.

I am Broken. But He is seen more Glorious.

(2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

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Truth

In an age of moral relativism, where absolutes are seemingly non-existent, and where Truth is said to be determined by the individual, I found this quote from Joshua Harris's Dug Deep Down encouraging.

Actually, Harris quotes Wayne Grudem in his book Bible Doctrine when points out that in Jesus' prayer in John 17:17, he doesn't say, "Sanctify them in the truth; your words are true." Instead he prays, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth."

Grudem further writes, "The difference is significant, for this statement encourages us to think of the Bible not simply as being 'true' in the sense that it conforms to some higher standard of truth, but rather to think of the Bible itself as the final standard of truth."

God. Is. Truth.

Isn't it so comforting to know that God is The final source of Truth, and not the whimsical ideas of man?

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Beauty for Ashes





Isaiah 61:3

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

 
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."

Gain. There are many things that are "gains" to me. I have numerous things that I take pride in, many things I put my confidence in. My accomplishments, my talents, my abilities, my knowledge - all of these are gains for me. Loss. But how can I lose my gains? How can I count them as loss? These are the things that define me. These are the things I've worked for. And yet I'm called to count them as loss.

"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

However, when I count all these things as loss, I'm actually not losing anything of value. In reality, my gains are all nothing without Christ. I am nothing without Christ. But, I can trade my nothingness for His fullness, my rags for His righteousness, my worthlessness for His surpassing value.

"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."

He gives me beauty for ashes.

It's not a fair exchange, by any means. I do not deserve it, nor will I ever deserve it. When I count all things loss, I gain Christ. So why is it so hard? Why do I struggle with this everyday? Why do I cling to everything that's of myself? Because I'm trusting me. My confidence is still in myself. Therefore, I need to crucify myself so that Christ can live in me. I lose myself, but I gain a priceless treasure beyond all measure and worth.

He gives me beauty for ashes.

I lose my social status, but I gain Christ.

I lose my good works, but I gain Christ.

I lose my possessions, but I gain Christ.

I lose my reputation, but I gain Christ.

I lose my accomplishments, but I gain Christ.

I lose my relationships, but I gain Christ.

I lose my life, but I gain Christ.

He gives me beauty for ashes.



(Philippians 3:7-11)

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He. Gave. It. All.

Before the dawn of time was The Word. The Word was God. The Creator. The I AM... Yet, The Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). That's the entire Christmas story summed up in just one sentence! This miraculous act we call the "Incarnation" -- Christ became completely human while remaining completely God. Our tiny human minds can't understand it, but it was absolutely necessary for these two reasons:

1} Christ had to be completely God to take the punishment of sin. Only God is holy and sinless and only He could pay the penalty.
2} Christ had to be completely human in order to be your substitute, my substitute. Because He was a man, Christ was our representative on the cross!

Pretty much, it boggles my brain how Jesus could be 100% God and 100% man. I love C. S. Lewis's analogy of this: Like an author writing himself into the script of a play, so the Word - the Author of creation - wrote Himself into the story of our world! Jesus is the author, but He also became a character for us!

Do you realize just how much Jesus gave up by becoming a man? I will never fully understand it (in this life), but Philippians 2 gives a good picture. Jesus, who was fully God, "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" (2:6). In other words, Jesus didn't hold on to His position and privileges as God. Although He never stopped being God, He gave up those rights when He came to earth.

When He "emptied Himself" (2:7) HE GAVE UP EVERYTHING.

He set aside the glories of heaven; He surrendered His independent authority and became obedient to His Father; He let go of His eternal riches and lived a life of poverty. But most of all, Christ bore the wrath of God as He took the sins of the whole world on Himself. He was separated from His Father. For me. For you. This, the greatest gift, was also the greatest sacrifice ever made!

You know the rest of the story. Jesus conquered death and now God has "highly exalted Him" (2:9). Have you, in the business of this season, taken the time to exalt the Lord? Have you thanked Him for His indescribable gift? The gift that cost Him His life, gave us ours.

"For God so loved this world

Though He knew what love would cost

He made a way in a manger

To make a way to the cross"

You know the feeling when...

...when you've completed something really challenging? Something that, at first, you weren't sure how you would complete it? Well, I have that feeling right now. I have just written an essay on a five-line poem!!! (It was "A Man Said to the Universe" by Stephan Crane.) The essay was supposed to be on the worldview of the poem/author. As you can guess, I had to focus on what the poem implied, rather than what it said ('cause it didn't say much). It felt so good to finish it, because I felt as though I had completed something of utmost substance! =D Satisfaction in work is a wonderful feeling.

I know how busy life can get with school and activities, but remember to keep persevering and doing your best in your work. God commands us to do everything for His glory--that includes our everyday responsibilities! =)

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. (Ephesians 6:5-7)

Doing hard things are hard, but in the end, it's so worth it! So keep pressing on, doing your work as for the Lord, even in your busy life! There is a special promise for those who do everything for the Lord, and it's found in the very next verse!

" knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." (Ephesians 6:8)

The Power of the Resurrection

When I was younger, I heard the story of the resurrection over and over. I could retell it, backwards and forwards. But the resurrection is more than just a story. Much more. I think because it was so familiar, I didn't fully understand its significance. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes to the Corinthians explaining the importance of Christ's resurrection and how fundamental it is to our faith:

13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
(1 Corinthians 15:13-19)

The notes in my study Bible divided divided this passage into six points. . .

Six disastrous consequences if there was no resurrection:

1) Preaching Christ would be senseless (14)
2) Faith in Christ would be useless (14)
3) All the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (15)
4) No one would be redeemed from sin (17)
5) All former believers would have perished (18)
6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on earth(19)

Wow! I have just recently been learning how fundamental Jesus' resurrection is to the Christian faith. The whole purpose of Jesus leaving His glory and coming to earth as a man was to conquer death for all mankind, that we may have Salvation through Him alone!!! And because Jesus DID rise again, we have a faith that's alive and a living hope. (Like verse 19 says, if Christ did not rise, then we have a false hope because it's based on this life only.) We have hope that we will be resurrected someday because death has been conquered by our Savior!!!

Have you ever found it hard to believe in (or doubted) the resurrection?


Revelation 1:17-18
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

Joy

You all have probably seen this acrostic of joy before:

Jesus first
Others second
Yourself last

And, while serving the Lord and others does bring joy, service and ministry is not the source of our joy. But before we get into that, let's go over what joy actually is.

How would you describe it? What does it look like? It's probably important that we know what it is because God commands it of us in Philippians 4:4. :) Is it that feeling of "delighted contentment" that you get when you're together with your family huddled around the Christmas tree? Or maybe the excitement you feel when you learn that your family is going to Hawaii for a week (now that would be awesome!!!)? Or maybe even the satisfaction you feel about getting an "A" on your test? I once heard someone describe joy as "an emotional response to something that brings great delight and excitement." I think that's the idea people get in their minds when someone says, "joy." That just leaves one question in my mind: Is there a difference between joy and happiness? And, if so, what is the difference? Well, I think many of us know there is a difference between them, but pin-pointing the difference is a little harder. Let's go back now to the source again and see what the Bible says.

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
Philippians 3:1a "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."
Galatians 5:22a "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. . . ."

Both verses say that we are to rejoice in the Lord. So, the source of our joy should be from the Lord. Joy isn't being "glad" when something bad happens, when you have a terrible day, or things just don't go your way. Joy is totally separate from circumstances. It's based on god's unchanging promises and knowing your relationship is right with Him - no matter what's going on in your life.

Unlike joy, however, happiness is the result of favorable circumstances. When things go your way, it's easy to be be happy; but rejoicing in the midst of trials is something that can only come from God. This is why joy is such a great evangelistic tool! When non-believers see our joy - through annoyances, through troubles, through misfortunes - they will know that the joy isn't of ourselves. Our joy is in the Lord!

So how do we get joy? It's one of the fruits of the Spirit and therefore a gift from God, but that doesn't mean we just sit around waiting for it to come! Though God is the One who brings it into our lives, we have to work and spend time in His Word, and get to know God. Remember, though, that it's not a knowledge about Him that brings joy, but our hope and relationship with Him!

Our rejoicing in the Lord is commanded! Did you notice that? God not only commands it, but He says we are "always" to rejoice. Wow! That means every day, every minute, anytime I'm thinking or working, whenever I talk. I know that this is not true of me! I would encourage you all, along with myself, to make a more conscious effort to place your joy in the Lord. "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."