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| Day 82 Part 2: Suffering, Promise, and Clay Pots |
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Suffering
2 Corinthians begins with Paul speaking about suffering and comfort. 1:3 Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. These three verses are amazing. God comforts us in all of our sufferings. The interesting thing is that we suffer in the first place because of what Christ has done. God brings us both suffering and comfort through the same medium. I'm so weak...I don't want the comfort God gives if it means that He is the one who has caused my suffering. My flesh doesn't like that God produces suffering in my life to drive me into His arms for comfort. Could it be that, if I am suffering, it is because God wants to comfort me? My suffering shows me how feeble I am and how mighty God is. His comfort shows me how much He loves me. Even when He allows me to suffer, it is for His great glory. What do you think of this?
Promise
Chapter 3 speaks of the great promise and glory of the New Covenant. Paul contrasts the new with the old. 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. The covenant that we have in Jesus Christ now is so much better than the old covenant with Moses that it makes the old look worthless in comparison. Verse 18 is one of the coolest promises we have in the new covenant. It says, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (NASB) Did you get that? We see in the mirror what we are being transformed into. We're being transformed, but God already sees the final picture of us, and it is glorious!!
Clay Pots
In chapter 4, Paul tells us that we have a treasure in "earthen vessels." What is the treasure? It is the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ that makes the "light shine out of the darkness." What is the clay pot God stores this glorious treaure in? People? Yes! Why did he choose to fill up these clay pots with this treasure? Because He wanted everyone to know that He is the focus and not the pot. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. |
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| To add a comment to "Day 82 Part 2: Suffering, Promise, and Clay Pots" |
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| October 16, 2007 |
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| Well done! This built my faith to believe that in EVERY suffering, comfort is available. |
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| October 16, 2007 |
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| Thanks Jay! I'm glad this has been more than an exercise in self-edification :-) |
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| October 16, 2007 |
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"exercise in self-edification"?? What's that supposed to mean? :-)
Every one of these has been great, Zach. And not just the ones that have spurred long conversations about baptism, hehe. I'd read em all if I could. You should package them up in one place... wait, you already did that. Ok, I promise to visit the links on your profile page whenever I can, and try to get caught up. :-)
Um, shouldn't this be like day 105 or something, since day 82 was on Sept 21??? Good to see the new entry, I've actually been waiting for it. Seems you got busy with them other things. |
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| October 16, 2007 |
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Mike...I always love your comments.
I haven't had a whole lot of time for MyChurch lately. I just started a new job and I'm still trying to get adjusted to the new hours and balancing that with fanily and friend time. I think I'm getting used to it again though. It won't be too long before this little series is finished :-) Being able to read isn't the problem because I can do that during my break at work...its having the time to blog thats the problem. Anyway...I will finish it soon. |
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| October 16, 2007 |
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| Well, it's always a joy to comment on the "Days of Zach!" haha -- come to think of it, you should title it that on your profile page! |
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| October 16, 2007 |
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| You don't think that would be a little over the top? |
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| October 17, 2007 |
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Definitely over the top... sounds too much like a claim to the "Days of Elijah!"
I love that you can connect the dots between suffering and comfort as to the source of both. Similarly, when Jesus was sleeping on the boat and the disciples came to him regarding the storm. The same storm that Jesus rebuked, he was sustaining as he sustains all things. But the purpose of the storm was to get the disciples to rely on him and to show his glory.
I also love the clay pot verse. It's funny how we can try and glorify ourselves as clay pots, thinking that we are some sort of fancy Oriental vase. I think it was John MacArthur that I heard describe what "Clay pot" meant in first century minds. These are the same clay pots they pooped in and used to remove human waste from their houses. Anyone feel like a clay pot now? Can any of us be comfortable with the glory of God to admit that Him using us is no more than Him using a port-a-potty?
Zach, it has been too long. I enjoy reading your thoughts as you read through the Bible. 90 days is something I am still aspiring to. |
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| October 17, 2007 |
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| Barrett...thanks for the comment. It has indeed been too long. I love the port-a-potty illustration and apparently 90 days is something I'm still aspiring to as well :-) |
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