“But we have this treasure
in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and
not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
Melody Bonnette wrote in “Guideposts,”
quoting the words of her pastor from a sermon. She said: “It was about a man who had found a violin and reconditioned
it. Expertly crafted by the master violin maker Stradivarius in the
1600s, it was known for its exquisite sound. When people found out the
man was going to play it for the first time, a large crowd gathered.
When he began, the crowd gasped in awe, not because of how beautifully
he played; the crowd was in awe simply because they were hearing a
violin made by a master.”
She continued, “The pastor
paused, looking out at the congregation. ‘We should all do the same,’ he
said. ‘When we see our husbands, our wives, our children, even people on
the street, we should all be in awe, simply because of Who made them.’”
The Scripture chosen for that message was Isaiah 64:8 – “Yet, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, You are the
potter, we are all the work of Your hand.”
Both that verse in Isaiah and our Scripture in
2nd Corinthians for today, present the truth that God is the Master
Sculptor, the wonderful Potter who makes exquisite works of art out of
mere clay, and we are that clay, the “work”
of the “hand” of God. It should make us
feel very good that we are not some kind of “accident,” but instead have been carefully fashioned in every way by the loving and great
purposes of God. But
even more, as expressed so beautifully by Melody Bonnette’s pastor,
everyone we meet has been made beautiful by His hand, also.
That’s when it gets harder for us. Through great
effort and a lot of prayer, we finally are willing to accept that our
size, our national heritage, our shape, our intellectual abilities or
the lack of them, our appearance; everything about us is not some kind of
mistake, but we are God’s great gift, not only for ourselves, but also
to the world, to this moment in history. God has expressed Himself
through you and me and He has good intentions for our lives. But it
certainly is more difficult to assign that role to the neighbor who has
an annoying, barking dog that keeps us awake at night. It’s even tougher
to appreciate that co-worker who got the promotion and you didn’t. And
it’s very hard to accept the relative who says untrue things
about you which hurt your feelings. It’s also a problem to see the
masterwork of God in the homeless person who smells, has missing teeth
and is holding out his hand right at the moment, expecting you to give
him some of your money.
I no longer drink coffee, managing to finally
give up something that had become an addiction for me, only through
difficulty and for three reasons: 1) I managed to switch to drinking
tea; 2) My cardiologist told me that because of my heart condition,
coffee is not a good idea, and 3) Interestingly, a couple of years ago,
the Lord had already “spoken to my heart” that I should stop drinking
it. In addition to the Lord’s Word, I must admit that I also needed the
word of a cardiologist for it to actually happen.
For decades, I drank coffee from mugs,
especially larger ones that hold more liquid than the little ones which
seem frustratingly small, and I now use those mugs for the two cups of
caffeinated tea a day which represent the “deal” I made with the cardiologist.
He thought I should cut out caffeine altogether, but the two cups became
our compromise. I like those mugs. They are attractive in appearance,
hold more tea than ordinary little cups, and they speak volumes to me
about the way God views us. They are made of clay. They were fashioned
in a factory somewhere, designed by those who might be thought of as
master craftsmen, with colors that I find appealing and then they were
baked in an oven until they have that porcelain shine; no longer
appearing to be clay, even though they really are.
I find it interesting that our original ancestor
was “formed… of the
dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7); out of the same fourteen or so
elements that are in the common dirt we walk upon, which are the same
elements found in our bodies. We literally ARE those “earthen
vessels” mentioned in our Scripture for today (2 Corinthians
4:7). We don’t appear to be “clay” or “earthen,” but we are.
Cups (or mugs) are earthen vessels specifically
designed to hold something inside. So are we. Our tendency in humanity
is to take the wrong things into our hearts and lives, but God has
something better. Paul the Apostle correctly pointed out that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:23). There is something wrong with humanity, and when we’re
honest with ourselves we recognize that we’re part of the problem. Our
attitude is not always good, our intentions are not always pure, our
motives are not always honest. People call it “being human,” but it
really is much deeper, more insidious. We “have
sinned” in the sight of a holy and pure God, and we must be made
clean to contain the Holy Spirit as He intends.
And when we try to appear religious or “nice” on
the outside, we don’t do a very good job. An example of trying to be
clean in ones own strength can be seen in the religious leaders of Jesus'
day. A large group of them called the “Pharisees”
(which meant “separated ones”) had made that attempt. As a group they
separated themselves from other people, but they were not delivered from
sin, and sadly they were separated from God.
Jesus said to them, “Woe
to you… Pharisees. For you pay tithe of
mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected…
justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to
have done without leaving the others undone…
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of
extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside
of the cup…” (Matthew 23:23-26).
Every so often my wife points at the mug I use
for tea and says something like, “Ugh, that’s
really disgusting!” which is my cue that it’s time to wash it.
The outside looks fine, but the inside has been badly stained by the
tea. We are like that cup for we often appear alright on the outside,
but inside where it counts, we are stained by the sin of this world.
We are that “earthen”
cup and we are the fine violin made by the Master of all that is. God
really is “our Father. We are the clay, (He
is) the potter, we are all the work of
(His) hand.” He is fully aware that “this treasure (is) in earthen
vessels,” and the reason is “that the
excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2
Corinthians 4:7). His work is perfect, and it is not destroyed by our
sins, the stains of this world. Let Him make you clean inside where it
counts, and He will fill you with the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 8:9).
Lord, I confess that I am stained inside by
sin. Make me clean, through the power and the wonder of the cross. I
surrender all. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and with Your love.
Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
