“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
When we have something valuable we place it where it is safe and protected. We park expensive cars in locked garages. We store jewelry in safety deposit boxes that are concealed in inaccessible bank vaults. Yet, God takes something far more valuable than cars and jewelry—His message that gives eternal life—and places it in us.
Like jars of clay, the best of us is a frail container for God’s good news. We are breakable. We fail too often and too easily. Yet, in our imperfection God uses us to display His power. Albert Barnes pointed out, in speaking of successful ministries, “The matter of amazement is not that no more are converted under their ministry, but it is that so many are converted, or that any are converted.”
The apostle Paul had a thriving ministry. He established churches throughout the Roman Empire. He wrote more books in the New Testament than any other author and his number of converts is beyond anyone’s estimation. Still, he wrote this letter to the Corinthians and explained that his success was due to the “all-surpassing power” that came from God and not from him.
Most of us are prone to evaluating ourselves with an emphasis on our disqualifying characteristics. There is hope in what Paul says here. It’s not about us. We are clay jars. It’s all about the power of God that is available to us in unlimited measure. There is no room for our boasting, but every reason for us to give praise to the One who deserves it. Our success is in God’s using us to display His glory.
