PRECIOUS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSEL
Beloved, we have a precious treasure in earthen vessel. But what is this treasure in earthen vessel? The treasure is God's glory displayed in the face of Christ, who is the image of God. The knowledge of this glory radiates in us, the light of the glorious gospel. So Paul started by letting us know that the unbelieving ones do not have and cannot see the gospel light which displays the glory of Christ, because the god of this age has blinded their minds.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 4:7 Amplified Bible (AMP) "But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves." Paul was trying to convey or communicate to us the weight and value of the precious treasure we have in us, as Christians. For this reason, he talked about the light, the knowledge, the glory and the greatness of the power of this treasure (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). In a nutshell, here is what Paul was trying to communicate: We carry a precious treasure, tremendous and radiant in nature, and the power thereof is surpassingly great. Then he told us the source - God Himself. In Christ Jesus, we now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing the great treasure. If this is the case, it clearly implies that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. Although we have an earthly body that perishes, which Paul described as jars of clay, it is a vessel that carries divine glory displayed in the face of Christ, who is the image of God. We also showcase the all-surpassing power of God through this treasure in us. When a man comes to Christ by faith, God shines His light into their heart through the glorious gospel. When this happens, it penetrates and demolishes the darkness of unbelief, thereby revealing God's glory in them through their faith in Christ. The light and knowledge of this glory are a precious treasure to every Christian. In the world we live, we have all kinds of treasure and valuable items, and we also have various places where they are stored. 2 Timothy 2:20 reads, "A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay..." For instance, when it comes to gold as a treasure, we have gold storage locations, like a fortified vault building. But God, in His infinite wisdom, counted us worthy to keep the greatest treasure of the light of His glory in Christ in us, whose bodies are simply defined by Paul as fragile jars of clay. Think about it - we are common human fragile vessel, apart from the glory of God resident in us. Yet God chose us as honourable containers to store His glory. I once thought to myself, why would God keep His great treasure in an earthen vessel? You would usually think that God would first of all, give every born again Christian a glorified body or make us immortal or grant us extraordinary human features in our appearance, before depositing such precious treasure in us, at least to look fortified. No! God didn't. That's why every born again Christian looks like every other person in the world, both in appearance and in bodily shape. Yet something precious is happening on the inside. The glory of God is working mightily in us because God, through us, transmits the power of His glory to the world. And in doing so, our earthen vessel is fortified. Beloved, the power of this glorious gospel of Christ is so overwhelming that it is not limited by the quality of its carrier's body, which is just an earthen vessel. It is a serious wonder and a knowledge that can empower anyone in Christ to walk in mastery. Also Paul left us with no reason to admit that the surpassing greatness of this power comes from us. The source is from God, the Almighty. No wonder the Scripture says, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5 ESV). Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Job 33:6; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Lamentations 4:2; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5. Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are awesome and glorious in your majesty. I honour you today, acknowledging the manifold variety of your strengthening grace at work in me. I live in frail body of earthen vessel, yet you chose to deposit in me, the priceless treasure of knowing your glory through faith in Christ. This treasure is far greater than silver and gold; it is of eternal value and the excellence of the power which I exercise through the knowledge comes from you. Thank you for your glory revealed in me and made manifest in my world in Jesus' Name, Amen!

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