In Christ: Jars of Clay - 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Our greatest temptation or at least our most often one is to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Since the serpent first came after humanity in Eden, we've all struggled with the allure of becoming like god, being independent and invincible. We scoff at the notion that we might rely on or trust in something more than we do God, but our actions suggest we are rather quick to shift our weight away from Him. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul invites us to understand this great temptation we face and come to terms with our nature's obsession with power and self-sufficiency and its want to embellish and evade weakness. We are and always will be jars of clay, after all. In this message, we learn how our vulnerability and fragile nature is an opportunity for us to keep our faith in Christ and an opening in our hearts so that we might increase our trust. Paul's message invites us to not resist serving the Lord out of a fear for discomfort or loss, but rather that we take the leap of faith. This passage makes it clear that God's power can only be fully known when we submit to God's design and trust His plans. Paul points us to the promise of seeing Christ's life manifest in ours and a weight of glory that awaits us in eternity. As tempting as it is to focus entirely on what we can see and feel here and now, it's what we cannot see and fully understand now that will one day become our eternal reality.