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June 25, 2019

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We Have This Treasure in Earthen Vessels

"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

In every trial and adversity we face, the believer has a refuge in Christ that provides rest for the weary, strength for the weak, and comfort for the discouraged. He wants to assure us that the battle is the Lord's, and that we are to rest in a victory that He has already won. God said, "Be not afraid, nor dismayed by this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but the Lord's." How often we need to be reminded of this blessed truth! We seem constrained to fight our encounters in our strength, not His.

One of the great illustrations of this truth is the account of Jehoshaphat when Moab and the Ammonites were attacking Israel. Overcome by the immensity and power of their enemies, Jehoshaphat takes refuge in God. In prayer, he unburdens his heart and cries out to God, "We have no might against this great company, neither know we what to do, BUT OUR EYES ARE UPON THEE." Wow! What a tremendous lesson to put into the reality of our lives! Jehoshaphat saw no way out, certain of defeat by an army many times greater than his own. He had no answer, but God was his refuge and mighty fortress in his dark hour of distress! He put his stakes of faith deep into trusting God. When they came upon the place to encounter the enemy, the foes all had been smitten and were utterly destroyed! God answered Jehoshaphat's prayer through another--Jahaziel. "My ways are not your ways, saith the Lord."

Paul says to these believers, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." What treasure? The glorious treasure of the gospel that sets men free and causes them to rise in triumph over the enemies of their souls. But look to whom God commits this treasure, to "earthen vessels." If you were God, to whom would you entrust your most sacred treasure? Would you entrust it to angels or archangels; to men of great statue, of great intellect, of great strength; to the might of a great army? What did God do? God chose to entrust His treasure to "earthen vessels," men of ordinary origin and a few fishermen. "God hath chosen the weak things of this world to confound the mighty." WHY? "That the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not of us." He is the ONE to be magnified and receive the glory, not us. God initiates the "instrument" and the power to fight the battle, a battle He has already won. We go forward in our spiritual journey with renewed confidence and trust. Our hope is in God and we are assured that He has gone before and made the crooked ways straight, removed the mountains, parted the sea, and claimed victory over our pressing foe! We can overcome, because HE IS OUR LIFE, because WE ARE IN CHRIST, because our times are IN HIS HANDS! Can there be any better place? This is our privileged position in Christ...walking with the King of kings and Lord of lords!

"Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!"..."He went forth conquering!" It is in His might and power that we are victorious! DARE TO BELEVE!

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2019-06-25


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