Treasure in Clay Jars

READ: ISAIAH 9:2; 42:6, 16; 2 CORINTHIANS 4

In Israel in 1947, a young Bedouin shepherd was bored while tending his goats. To amuse himself he picked up a stone and threw it into a cave. To his amazement the sound of something breaking echoed about him. He investigated and stumbled upon clay jars with scrolls in them. He had discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of the most ancient copies of most of the Old Testament texts. These scrolls are over 2,000 years old, and they hold unimaginable value for biblical scholars—and all other Christians too. They are a great treasure.

This discovery illustrates an important facet of our Christian life. When we accept Jesus, we’re given a great treasure: the message of the gospel. His light is now in our lives! We might consider ourselves unworthy or unable to spread the message of salvation to others. We might think we’re unworthy or unable to live the life God calls us to live. And the truth is, by ourselves, we aren’t worthy. We are like fragile clay jars. But it’s what’s in us that’s important. We are now children of the light, and we have the Holy Spirit in us (1 Thessalonians 5:5)! Because of the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to tell others about a Savior who loves us so much that He came to earth as a baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead to make the way for us to be with Him forever.

God knows that we’re frail and we can’t do anything on our own, like clay jars. And yet, He gave us a treasure He wants us to share with others, and He gave us His Holy Spirit to help us carry out that mission and live the life He calls us to live. •Morgan A. Mitchell

• Have you ever tried to follow God’s good ways and share the gospel through your own power? How did that go? We all fall into this from time to time, but that’s not how God calls us to live. He invites us to rely on Him every day, trusting Him to work through us to do things we couldn’t do by ourselves—like understanding Scripture, turning away from sin, being patient with others, loving our enemies, etc. Consider spending some time in prayer, asking God to show you any places you’ve been relying on your own power instead of His Holy Spirit.

• Isn’t it amazing that, once we know Jesus, we get to carry the treasure of the gospel and God’s presence with us all the time? How could this truth affect the way you live your life?

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)