Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

Reflect:

It seems that every day we hear of more senseless violence in our world. Just yesterday, fourteen people were injured in a shooting outside a funeral home in Chicago. Earlier this week I read of the persecution of Christians in China. According to the Christian Post, church’s crosses are being replaced portraits of Chinese Communist leaders. I could go on and on.

And then I thought of the passage listed above. The Apostle Paul knew pain. He experienced it at every level in his own life, yet he recognized that the ability to handle the pressures of life was within the presence of God and not of his own abilities.

Respond:

For the follower of Christ, there is a treasure within these “jars of clay” and we are not crushed by life’s circumstances. We are not driven to despair. We are not forsaken. We are not destroyed.