2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Apostle Paul took the ministry to share the gospel, he committed with all his heart that the gospel will be known to all people. “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” (2 Corinthians 4:1 NIV) Even though Paul had experienced rejection, oppression and slandering, he was still doing the right things. He described himself as “jars of clay”, very brittle. Nevertheless, we have “this treasure in the jars of clay”, through this, we have the courage, the resiliency and the power to do the right things. “this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Although “we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
We are Christians, we have Jesus Christ and we have eternal life. We can relate to the sayings of Apostle Paul. We have good intention to share the gospel to other people. However, people may not accept, they may misunderstood us or even say bad things about us, etc, etc. We all are very fragile and limited. We cannot last too long with our own strength. It is by grace that we have this treasure in us, this treasure is from God. This treasure enables us to continue serving without losing heart. When we walk humbly with our God, surrender to His calling and allocation, we will experience the power and grace of God, we are able to endure hardship and have joy to serve the Lord. May we serve our almighty God with unity and perseverance.