by John Menton, Director of WEGO South Africa
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
-2 Corinthians 4:7
In 1947 a Bedouin shepherd was searching for a lost sheep near the Dead Sea. Looking for it up the steep hillside, he chanced upon a small opening in a rock face. He looked in cautiously but could make out only a large dark cavern, so he picked up a stone, threw it in, and heard something crack and break. The entrance was very small, and he was afraid to enter alone. So, the next day he returned with two friends. In the cave they found a row of enormous clay pots, larger than him — each one sealed shut. Inside the jars, they found very ancient manuscripts of the Old Testament that predate Jesus’s birth, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
A treasure of immeasurable value stored in clay jars.
What is the treasure that Paul talks about in this verse? From the previous verse, we know that it is the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”, meaning it’s the gospel, the treasure of Jesus! Paul is speaking about the incomparable worth of the gospel, the priceless message about the Savior who left the glory of heaven and died to save sinners.
And where is this treasure found? We would expect such a great treasure to be under lock and key in a museum or a bank vault. But, God’s strategy is different. Paul tells us that God keeps this treasure of the light of His glory in Christ in jars of clay. These earthenware pots were made out of hard-baked dirt, not perfect, far from glorious, and easily broken at the toss of a stone. Yet the jars were also very useful and served many different purposes including storing valuables like gold, silver, and jewellery.
That’s us – jars of clay. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to think of myself this way. But 10 years of gospel and mercy ministry in South Africa has shown me I am weaker than I thought I was and more fragile than I care to admit.
But what if we embraced the fact that we are jars of clay? What if we own that we are weak and breakable? Paul is telling us this is the way to experience God’s surpassing power – to own our fragility. Why would God keep this great treasure in such vulnerable containers? God wants to show the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor 12:9-10). The power of the gospel is so overwhelming that it is not limited by the quality of its container. So, Christian, our battle with anxiety, bodily illness, or prodigal child does not mean the end of our usefulness for God.
Paul never stopped being amazed by the fact that Jesus would give him such a great treasure. He never took for granted that Jesus would care enough to save our sinful, weak, fragile, jars of clay lives, and entrust us to carry this treasure of hope, this message of salvation to the world!
So, let us rejoice with Paul! Our wise God knows what He is doing. And in His sovereign plan, He uses imperfect and unimpressive people like us as instruments of grace, to shine the light of the gospel more clearly as we depend upon Him.
1) Praise God For Salvation!
HOW YOU CAN PRAY:
Praise God that three more of our children have come to faith in Jesus! Pray for growth in grace and knowledge of their Saviour.
2) Pray for Our Parenting
HOW YOU CAN PRAY:
For patience and wisdom in parenting, teaching, and discipling the children that God has given us. Pray we would model Christlike love and that our home would be filled with joy and grace.
3) Pray for Equine Therapy Ministry
HOW YOU CAN PRAY:
Pray for provision and support for our daughter Emily’s equine-assisted therapy program which started in July.
4) Pray For Ministry Expansion
HOW YOU CAN PRAY:
For wisdom and guidance to discern our next steps to expand the work to include more family homes and the possibility of starting a Christian school. Specifically, please pray for our upcoming trip to visit Bethesda, a like-minded ministry in South Africa. We hope to learn from them as we walk toward the vision of expanding Forever Mercy.
5) Pray For Our Local Church, Everyday People
HOW YOU CAN PRAY:
For our local church, that a culture of discipleship would form and faithful elders would use Scripture to equip members and help them understand the importance of the local church and their commitment to it.
6) Thank God With Us
HOW YOU CAN PRAY:
Thank God for everyone who continues to partner with us in prayer and support to care for, pray for, and point these precious children to Jesus.
