Jars of Clay - part 3

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Cor. 4 NIV)

I've been musing lately on the reality of being a "jar of clay," or, more specifically, being human and subject to my fallen nature, yet called by God into relationship with Christ and then ministry.

Sometimes when those parts of our personality we'd rather not have held up to Christ's Light are foremost, we find it hard to remember that God calls us precious and loves us anyway. From Isa. 43:4: "...you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you." This is good stuff.

And when God calls us to be strong and courageous and to step out in faith to a new direction - a new calling - we have to remember that the power to step out comes from God. God will not ask us to do something for him without giving us the tools, especially spiritual help, to do it.

Check this out:

^7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best! (MSG)

What are the "stepping out in faith" things God is calling you to do?

What are your personal "quirks" that remind you you are an earthen vessel?

What are the ways in which you need to hear (again) that you are precious to God and he loves you?

God of amazing surprises, thank you for the gift of salvation you offered us through Christ. Thank you for the gifts and blessings you pour into our lives. Thank you for the ways in which you are working on our lives - as a potter works a piece of malleable clay. Thank you for the ways in which you are helping us to become more Christ-like. Thank you for your calls on our lives. Help us to trust your surpassing power and your great wisdom and to move courageously in the directions you call us to go. Help us to know deep within our heart of hearts that we are precious to you and you love us. All honor and glory and praise be to you, Father of Light. Amen.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; (NASB)

¹ But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
⁴ Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you. (Isa. 43 NLT)

All balled up

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. (Gen. 2:6 NLT)

I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you. (from Isa. 43 MSG)

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17 MSG)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Mt. 11:28 NIV)


It seems in my life that every so often I find my spirit/soul/mind/emotions all balled up. I get myself into a place where I'm too busy, too scattered, too unorganized, too overwhelmed, too....something. And then something will remind me to take a step back and just breathe.

Breathe.

Or I get balled up in discontentedness or some sort of restlessness. (The last two times I went through a major spell of that we ended up with subsequent babies. :)) But I remember a time in my life when I was chaffing against a perceived life-not-going-anywhere time. A very wise friend reminded me that maybe God was calling me to rest.

Rest.

By nature I want to be somehow on the move - not necessarily physically, but feeling that my life has momentum and purpose. And, yet, I get reminded that I am a human "BEING" not human "DOING." And, besides, every life has value just because God created it. So whether I'm being productive or not, I am still precious and valued.

Precious.

God, help us remember today to breathe in your Spirit, to rest in your arms of love, to know deep in our being that we are precious and loved by you. Amen.

Called by name

What's in a name?

Abram --- Abraham
Sarai --- Sarah
Simon --- Peter
Saul --- Paul

Why does God change peoples' names? Sometimes it's because He gives us a new ministry - as wife, then mother, in my case. For Simon, it was because he was planning to build a Church upon the foundation of the eleven disciples, including Peter ("Rock"). Summer in ministry is often a time busy with praying, planning, and preparing for the next program year. What is the ministry God is calling us to in the next 12 months? Is it basically what we are doing or are there new avenues to explore? Should we stay on the path we have been and just hone our traveling, or is God calling us to step onto a new, unexplored path for a time?

I don't know what questions each of you may have for God in this arena, but I know that God hears your questions. Tommy Walker's "He Knows My Name" is a gentle reminder of that:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hand

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
He hears me when I call "He Knows My Name" by Tommy Walker -- 1996 Doulos Publishing (Maranatha! Music [Admin. by Music Services])

If you are asking questions - either personally or in your ministry area -- know that the God who created you, who redeemed you, who calls you by name...who knows you by name...hears you.

^1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Beloved,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you. (Isa. 43 MSG)

Thank you, God, for knowing us, loving us, redeeming us. Thank you for hearing each word we say, each tear that falls, each question that explodes. Thank you for calling our names and making us yours. We pray you would pour out your wisdom and guidance upon this staff, upon this church, upon each of us as precious Beloved. We need to know Your will and Your ways for our ministries and our lives. Help us to know that you have called each of us and will never let us go. In Christ's name, Amen.