Beautiful Things Stored in Disgusting Containers

God is still doing amazing things in Dar es Salaam. Many of them are taking place in my own heart and life. Lately I have been looking through the new testament for things that I have not read before, or at least not in a long time. I came across this a few days ago.

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2 Corinthians 4:1-12- (particularly verse 7) 

"... 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

In previous blogs, I have mentioned this treasure. It is the message of the new covenant; the ministry of reconciliation as Paul later calls it in chapter 5. I have also mentioned the fact that I need to carry this treasure in a manner worthy of its magnitude. This is the way to salvation. It is the very words of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and redeemer of all people. So I am still being convicted daily to minister to people with more and more passion.

But the other part of this verse, the "clay pots" image is also very interesting to me. I am no theologian or Bible scholar, but if I have the treasure [the gospel of Jesus Christ] inside of me, and the verse says the treasure is stored in jars of clay, then I am nothing more than a clay pot... like that transitive property. If a=b and b=c, then a has to equal c, right?- yeah, I got math skills. Thanks Mrs. Roland. So I am merely a clay pot, holding a beautiful treasure. All to the glory and praise and power of our great God.

I have seen a very real, practical example of this in my life since I have been here in Dar. 

You may or may not know this about me; I am a very shy person around new people. If I know you well, I will say or do anything around you, often leading to hilarious and embarrassing moments. But if I just met you, I will not say much at all. In fact, I will probably just stare and watch in silence until I feel like I know you "well enough" to loosen up. That is just how it is. I am nearly socially inept around new people. So, how does a guy like me end up working for the IMB, on a team in Tanzania, when his only task is to meet new college students everyday for 4 months? ... at a school of over 17,000 students. 

I didn't know how. I thought I was the worst possible choice for this trip. I can think of several of my friends who are more outgoing with new people than I am. But after reading this passage, the fact that I know I am nearly incapable of doing this task excites me all the more. Why? Because the more I suck at something, the more glory God will get when there is any success that comes from it. If I was super outgoing, any success on campus meeting new students and sharing the gospel with them could be seen as, " Oh that Joel; He is so outgoing... just perfect for this task." That does nothing but rob God of due glory. The fact that I am bad at meeting new people, says that any success MUST be only because of God's power and glory.

We are clay jars. Nothing more. Probably caked with dirt, full of cracks, not fit to decorate the ugliest yard in the whole world. But, God uses clay jars rather than beautiful vessels because a dirty, rotten, self-centered person brings God more glory. Glory that is His, and His alone. It is not for any man to give to any other man, as if men do things to merit such glory and power. I am praying that when people see us as Christians, they never see anything more than  rotten sinners, capable of no good thing, redeemed and being used humbly by the King of ALL.

Peace,

JOel