Today you should read: 2 Corinthians 4
Do yourself a favor – take your time and read today’s passage SLOWLY. It has so much to say to us today.
If you are a Christ-follower, then God has made His light shine in your heart to give you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Jesus. (v.6) That’s so much to be thankful for!
Verse 7 says…
But we have this treasure in jars of clay…
What’s the treasure and why jars of clay? The treasure is the Gospel – the message that is hidden from the lost (v.4) but has been revealed to you (v.6). The Gospel or Good News – is the most powerful bit of information available to man. It contains life-changing words that alter lives in ways thought unimaginable. The Gospel is that you and I are in a desperate spot because of the sin nature we inherited from Adam. Everyone has sinned – and our sin deserves the penalty of hell. Jesus came to earth at Christmas time – born of a virgin and lived a perfect, sinless life. When He was thirty-three, He willingly laid down His life by dying on a cross to shed His blood for our sins. He rose again three days later to confirm His Deity. Now He invites you and I into a relationship with God by accepting His atonement for our sins. We have this TREASURE!
Do you consider the Gospel a treasure? Do you treat it like it is?
But why jars of clay? This is a metaphor that the people in Paul’s day (when this was written) clearly understood. Many things were stored in clay jars – medicines, foods, documents (like the Dead Sea Scrolls), wine, and more. Treasure was stored in clay jars. Now the play on words come in, when you realize that our bodies are made of dirt – clay if you will – so we are clay jars. God has decided, by His grace and mercy, to house the Gospel in us. For you and I to be the containers that show the Gospel to the world.
Sometimes this is difficult (v.8-10) – but it’s always important! So…
Don’t lose heart (v.16) – Remember that our momentary troubles are achieving an eternal glory [heaven] that outweighs them all. (v.17). SO fix your eyes on what is unseen – what is eternal. (v.18)
- What does the Gospel mean to you?
- How are you doing being a “Gospel Container”?
- Ask God to use you to share the Gospel today…
By: Tim Parsons
JumpstartCPC.com 
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
This verse really caught my attention today. Several years ago God gave me an opportunity to share the gospel with a Muslim man who grew up in Pakistan. We talked at length about Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. The man listened respectfully and asked some really good questions. However, as of today he has not responded to the gospel. I think he is an example of someone who Satan has blinded to the truth. I continue to pray for him, and his family, that the Holy Spirit will reveal The Truth to him. At first I felt like I had failed in my attempt to share Jesus with him. Now I realize that it is, and always has been, completely out of my hands. My job is to be a faithful seed planter and simply pray for the Lord of the harvest to do His work.
Thanks for the commentary today T.P.