2 Corinthians 4:7
Do you know what an earthen vessel is? It's nothing more than a clay pot.
That's a reference to our bodies and our abilities in the strength of our flesh. That is all you and I have to offer God...a pot. A perishable container.
You may be like brittle, delicate china. You break and chip easily, and you could show the glue marks because of those broken times.
Then again, you may be a rugged, scarred hunk of heavy pottery—not very attractive, but boy, are you useful.
Or you may be composed of clay that hasn't yet been fired in the kiln; you are still being moulded and shaped for use.
To tell you the truth, it isn't the condition of the pot that's most important. What's important is the treasure inside—the light and glory of Christ's salvation.
What's a few dings, or even a crack or two? If others can see the glory inside through the cracks, so much the better.
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Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.