Our remarkable privilege to have the most valuable treasure of all
By Dean Collin
The parade you are a part of can be deceiving. People notice parades. City workers and local police clear the roads and block the entrances to the parade route. Even in small towns, nearly everyone comes out for the parade so they can celebrate the occasion and the victory.
Every time a sports team wins a national or international championship there is a parade celebrating the heroes of the court or field. We love our champions. And in the moment of celebration when the championship team rides by, for a moment we claim a part of the prize. That’s our team. We won. We are better. And for a moment we have proven we are invincible.
High value—for awhile
Winning a championship raises the value of the athletes. If contracts are up for renegotiation, a champion with experience can bring high value to another team that wants one day to walk the parade route and celebrate. But here is the reality. In an instant, the championship is over. Every day the athlete gets older. and with the passage of time (sometimes just a little time) skills diminish, bodies weaken, and the parade is a distant memory.
The same things happen outside the world of athletics. You close a big contract, win a deal, have a windfall, win an election, receive a title, are given authority, and before you know it the resulting celebration can lead you to think how smart, wonderful, and strong you are. But just as the athlete comes to understand, the glory of the moment fades.
Priceless treasure—fragile vessel
The apostle Paul said this: “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14 ). We are part of the procession, not the central person of honor. Paul explains we have been given a treasure. Jesus has entrusted us with his good news. And we are to carry it far and wide.
But in the wisdom of God, which we struggle to understand, God did not choose to leave the treasure in vaults of steel. He placed the treasure in jars of clay. Yes, you, and I, have been given the most precious treasure. And we both know no matter how hard we try to seem otherwise, we are quite fragile. Our bodies and often our spirits are weak. More than a few times we have proved to be inadequate to the task we have been assigned. Yet God chose us to carry the treasure in his parade.
Struck down—not destroyed
And why did God do it this way? Paul says he did it, ”to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” We don’t deserve the treasure. But because of the mercy and grace of God, we have been given the privilege to carry it and to share it with others.
Paul indicates that we will stumble. We will face difficulty. We will feel despair. Here are his terrifying and beautiful words to describe our reality:
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. “
Take note:
We are afflicted…but not crushed
We are perplexed…but not driven to despair
We are persecuted…but not forsaken
We are struck down…but not destroyed
We carry the death of Jesus…so that his life can be made visible in us
Paul gives us this assurance, that the God who raised Jesus from the dead will bring us into his presence. As we carry the precious good news of Jesus, we reveal the glory of God to others. When people see what God does with such weak and imperfect vessels, they stop and consider the truth and the power of the good news of Jesus.
Strong—in our weakness
You and I don’t have to be strong enough; in fact, our strength is in acknowledging our weakness. God does his best work in and through our humble offerings.
I will confess that many times I have forgotten this powerful truth. God didn’t pick me to lead because I was strong enough, smart enough, rich enough, or powerful enough. He picked me and he picked you because we are weak enough to acknowledge our need and our dependency on him to bring about his purposes that will always lead to his victory.
Paul leaves us with this powerful reminder. It is a truth that we must quote to ourselves and pray daily:
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Lord, thank you for allowing us to walk behind you in your victory parade. We are humbled and amazed that you would entrust us with the precious treasure of the gospel. We confess our brokenness to you and to ourselves. We remember that it is not by power or might that we lead but by your spirit and through our weakness that we walk behind you on the path to one day living in your presence forever. Use us to show and share your love near and far. We will endure this momentary affliction as you magnify your glory in us. We long to see what we cannot yet see, but we wait with great anticipation to see your glory forever. Amen
Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 4:7-18 ESV
Photo by dimamorgan12 at istockphoto.com
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