Knocked Down but Not Knocked Out!
“We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (CEV)
Christ’s followers are described as clay pots containing a priceless treasure. The pots used in biblical times were common, cheap, breakable, baked clay pots. Still, these common ordinary clay pots, as expendable as they were, would often contain valuable treasure. The value of the pot was measured, then, by what it contained. As Christ’s followers, we contain the treasure of the Gospel, the Good News of Christ’s love, and His power to change lives. Jesus Christ, Himself, indwells us.
You may feel, at times, like an unworthy vessel for that treasure, like a cracked pot. “Why would God put such a treasure in a cracked pot like me?” He does that to show that “the real power comes from God and not from us.” In other words, our weakness is not fatal to what He does -- it is essential! By using frail and expendable people like you and me, God makes it clear that salvation is the result of His power and not any power of our own. The great power of God overcomes and transcends the weakness of the clay pot.
Think of it. The very weaknesses that you think may be crippling you are actually strengthening you as you acknowledge and depend on God’s power. Look at the four most common areas Paul discloses in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (CEV):
“We often suffer, but we are never crushed.”
“Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up.”
“In times of trouble, God is with us….”
“When we are knocked down, we get up again.”
Have you been knocked down by your own weaknesses? Discouragement and failure can be used by the enemy to keep you down. By the power of God, you can get up! You contain a treasure the world needs to see. Let them see His strength through your weakness.
I love the way the Phillips New Testament paraphrases this passage: “This priceless treasure we hold, so to speak, in a common earthenware jar - to show that the splendid power of it belongs to God and not to us. We are handicapped on all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but never in despair. We are persecuted, but we never have to stand it alone: we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out!”
Forgive me, Lord, for forgetting that it’s not about me. I’ve been looking at the vessel, focusing on all the imperfections of this clay pot and missing the wonderful treasure it contains. You live in me! How grateful I am to contain such a treasure as Christ, to show through my own weaknesses that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from me. Let your light shine through me today.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.