God Cares More About How You Are on the Inside, Not the Outside
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
"Do you want to see what's inside?" my friend asked. I had just complimented her on the old-fashioned rag doll her daughter held in her small arms. Instantly curious, I replied that yes, I very much wanted to see what was inside. She turned the doll face down and pulled open a discreet zipper sewn into its back. From within the cloth body, Emily gently removed a treasure: the rag doll she'd held and loved throughout the years of her own childhood more than two decades prior. The "outer" doll was merely a shell without this inner core to give it strength and form.
Paul describes the truth of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection as a treasure, carried about in the frail humanity of God's people. That treasure enables those who trust in Him to bear up under unthinkable adversity and continue in their service. When they do, His light—His life—shines brightly through the "cracks" of their humanness. Paul encourages us all not to "lose heart" (2 Corinthians 4:16) because God strengthens us to do His work.
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When God's strength shines through us, it invites others to ask, "What's inside?"
Like the "inner" doll, the gospel-treasure within us lends both purpose and fortitude to our lives. When God's strength shines through us, it invites others to ask, "What's inside?" We can then unzip our hearts and reveal the life-giving promise of salvation in Christ.
Thank You, Lord, for saving me. Please shine Your light brightly through my broken life so others will be invited to know You too.
The gospel of truth shines through the brokenness of God's people.
By Kirsten Holmberg at Our Daily Bread. Taken from Our Daily Bread®, © 2017 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Find them online here https://odb.org/
