Intentional Jars

"So we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us". (2 Cor. 4:7)

Here's the homework:
"this treasure":  "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (from the verse before). I'd sum it up as "faith in the gospel".

"jars of clay": A common metaphor in the ancient world for human weakness

The word that makes all the difference
The first connecting word, "to", makes all the difference in the world. It's not just that we, unfortunately, are weak, and God still manages to do something with us. The verse makes it clear that our frailty is no accident. This is God's means to showing that the power belongs to him.

So, our failing bodies, our roller-coaster emotions, and even our unstable will are NOT merely a side effect that God is willing to work around. Rather, it is the precondition that he does anything at all! Your weakness is the ordained way that God has chosen to get things done.

Why? Because while there may be an infinite number of ways to "get God's stuff done" he is concerned with doing it in a way that makes people say, "What a God" and not "what a guy"...

Brett want to write good

Ok, so I'm trying to write a book. I'm finding that it's a bit like pulling teeth right now. Why is this? While I think that perhaps some of it could be that it's not a subject I'm super-jazzed about, another some of it is simply because I haven't been writing.

So, in an effort to reclaim my "voice" I am picking up both journal and blog after a long dry spell. I want to write again, if only to have an outlet to express some of my thoughts. So, mysterious (non-existent?) reader, buckle up- it's going to be a bumpy ride.