I got Treasures in this Jar of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:7-12
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 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. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Serving God does not guarantee a burden-free life. Many of us tend to think that those who faithfully serve the Lord are free from any troubles, that God has created a fast lane of deliverance for them. Ministers of God are asked to pray by many yet often times are forgotten to be prayed for. In this passage Paul draws our attention to the truth that even the faithful can find themselves in a situation where they are  "hardpressed on every side, perplexed and persecuted. The difference though is while going through challenging times, the servant of God carries with him/her hope. As Paul aptly puts it, "they maybe hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. They may be perplexed, but not in despair; they may be persecuted, but they will not be not abandoned; they may be struck down but they shall not be destroyed."

I think of the many times I have gone through trials and tribulations throughout my over 20 years of service to the Lord, and how many times God has used my story of brokenness to bless others. One trial that comes to mind was suffering abuse while I was a missionary in India. Almost everything in me died due to that. The heartache, doubt, and pain brought by such an unfortunate experience was so much. Yet even in pain I knew my God has not abandoned me; through all my many why's, somewhere inside of me lay strength to cling to God's stable word. While what the enemy meant for harm wounded me, it definitely did not destroy me. In fact during those difficult days, I witnessed God's power operate in a manner I would have not known had I not been in the situation I was in. With my own eyes I saw how God picked me from the ashes, and enabled me to arise stronger. My God has empowered me with a word of testimony of His ability to put broken pieces together.  In Christ I have been made whole. 

By God's providence my story has been seen on 700 Club Asia and has been used by God to bring healing to many. Along with the Apostle Paul I can say " I have this treasure in this jar of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from me." What a wonderful blessing to serve the Living God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where is the presence of God when...?

Just recently a sister of mine miscarried. She and her husband has waited 6 yrs for this baby. The day my sister tested positively pregnant, all of us in the family shouted in jubilation. Some of us even cried in happiness. Things were great until one day disaster struck...she started spotting...then the spotting turned to bleeding....then the final blow....the gynecologists announced...the baby has no heartbeat. My sister called me right away and we frantically called on the name of the Lord asking Him for a miracle. WE reasoned, if He can raise Lazarus who was 3 days old dead then surely it is a small thing for Him to bring the baby in my sister's womb alive...As I write this my family is still grieving with my sister and brother-in-law. One would ask where was God in all these? What happened to His presence. Did His presence leave us? Isn't He the Omnipresent God, the God who is present everywhere? As I struggled to find answers, the Lord started opening my eyes to His goodn
Read more

God's Most Valuable Slave

2 Corinthians 4:1   1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry , we do not lose heart. Another aspect of this ministry Paul talks about is found in 2 Corinthians 2 :14-17:   14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. In an earlier blog I shared about the implication of the passage that says God "always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him". The focus of my sharing was on the seriousness of our ministry a
Read more

Dwell in my presence "Part 4"

After teaching two 2-hour classes today, I have to admit I feel a bit exhausted. The thought of heading to the  apartment where I stay while here in Oakland to stretch out on the sofa and put up my tired feet, perhaps snack on juicy and yummy strawberries in the refrigerator is very tempting. But I haven't had the chance to have quiet time today. So hereI am sitting in the quietness of the library blogging...checking out more meaning of the word dwell and wondering what new thing God has in store for me....Then there it was...staring right in front of me....the Hebrew word for dwell "shakan" also means to cause to or make to dwell, or to cause to have habitation, or to cause to lay, or to cause to rest. The phrase "to cause" implies a decision to exhort myself to "dwell in God's presence". It involves the process of allowing my mind to refocus from my sense of weariness to God. Psalm 42:1 comes to mind "As the deer pants for the streams of w
Read more