2 Corinthians 4:7-9
I caught the end of National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” movie the other day. Most of the movie is about all the horrible things that take place in the Griswald home during the holidays. Things fall apart. The tree bursts into flames. The dog knocks over cabinets and tears down curtains, and so on.
In the end the main character realizes the importance of Christmas is the love that came from God. In spite of all the upheaval he is at peace.
Although our lives are nowhere near as chaotic and tumultuous as what goes on in the movie, we can sometimes feel that we are being pushed around and that our lives are under attack at every turn. We can sometimes feel discouraged.
In this second letter to the Corinthian believers Paul offers some words on the struggles of life. To what does he compare human frailty? What are the bad things of life? What are the good?
Paul begins this section with an image of our humanity. We are like clay jars which hold a great treasure. The exterior, the clay jar, is not as important as what is inside. The container is a fragile thing, easily broken and destroyed, in spite of the goodness within.
So it is with us. We are fragile mortals, easily destroyed, easily broken. Our frail mortal existence is not as important as what is inside us. The Spirit of God dwelling inside each of us is what is important. The presence of Christ within us is the treasure we bear.
And in spite of all that buffets and assails us – we are pressed, struck down, perplexed and persecuted – we remain strong in the Lord. We are not crushed or abandoned. We do not despair because we are not destroyed.
No matter what difficulties we may endure, no matter what hardships, we persist. No matter what our weaknesses and frailties we are successful because the treasure of Christ is within us to help us carry on.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What helps you remember the treasure you carry?
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