What Do Jars of Clay Teach Us about Thankfulness?
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- Published Oct 25, 2022
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT
Play-doh can take many shapes. It can be formed into one masterpiece and squished into a different mold. I remember the simple joy of pressing Play-doh cupcakes with my daughters when they were young. Every once in a while, they would want to save a creation they made. But unfortunately, once the play-doh dries up, it falls apart. It has to stay in a moldable state. When colors are mixed together, or it's left out without the lids securely attached, there's no turning back. Paul compared human beings to jars of clay. We are moldable, fragile, and changeable. In this constant state of growth, it's important to embrace thankfulness in our lives.
The attitude of gratitude comes from a heart overflowing with the mercy and grace of God. When we are filled with His love, it's impossible not to overflow into the people around us - which is exactly God's plan. Thankfulness is contagious! It has the power to pull us out of a rut of negative thoughts and breed contentment in our lives regardless of the circumstances. "There, since God in his mercy has given us this new way," Paul wrote the Corinthians, "we never give up." (2 Corinthians 4:1 NLT)
Paul wrote to the Corinthians about his all-in commitment to share the gospel truth with every single person because of the mercy God showed him. "The gospel about Christ is a valuable treasure," Moody Bible Commentary explains, "but it is communicated by human beings who are like fragile clay vessels. The divine intent of this contrast is that God's power might be manifested in human frailty." God's strength is made perfect in weakness. "Paul is writing to the Corinthian church and reminding them of the hope they have in Jesus," Tamara Chamberlain explains in an article titled, "Why are 'Jars of Clay' Significant to Christians?"
Jesus gives us the strength and hope we need to be thankful through it all.
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair." 2 Corinthians 4:8
Picture the play-doh being smashed, pushed through spaghetti noodle molds, and cut into cupcake sprinkles. In our everyday lives, we are pressed on every side. There are things, people, and dark forces in this world trying to turn us into something we were never meant to be. The gospel gives us the strength we need so these very real things which come against us will not crush us. And not just so we survive but thrive, with a perspective that allows us to maintain a heart of gratitude.Thankful for the hope we have in hopeless situations because of Jesus.
Thankful for the protection we have in Jesus.
"We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but are never destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:9 NLT
We live under the protection of the Creator of the Universe. Though we are fragile jars of clay, we stand behind His shield in Christ. We put on the armor of God each day and are equipped to fight the battle around us. "We are living in the full victory of Jesus. And he actively chooses us to share in his light and truth," Tamara Chamberlain explains in an article titled, "Why are 'Jars of Clay' Significant to Christians?", "One of the reasons he chooses us is precisely because we are jars of clay." There's nothing we can ever do to outrun the love of God. His love never fails, but "always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV)
Thankful for the opportunity to love others in Jesus' name.
"Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:10 NLT
In this life, we will experience pain, sickness, and death. Depression, injustice, and fear knock on everyone's door. But despite what is coming against us and the way our physical bodies begin to fail us, our ability to share the gospel truth is never lessened by any of it. "Those who have been touched by the gospel realize that the gospel is not about them," Moody Bible Commentary explains. God places us purposefully in this life. He goes before us, behind us, and surrounds us with everything we need to fulfill our purpose in this life: to bring glory to His name. Paul wrote:
"Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you." 2 Corinthians 4:11-12 NLT
The Voice paraphrase of verses 7-12 read:
"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power within us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't been broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us- trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us- he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!" (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
Jars of clay remind us of our dependency on God. Our need for Him reminds us to be thankful for His faithfulness. In every situation, He is with us. Every single day, His mercies are new. Paul concludes this portion of Scripture in this way:
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the thins we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT)
Thankfulness resides in jars of clay, proclaiming the gospel, and being shaped daily to resemble Christ Jesus. This passage of Scripture reminds us who we are in this life and the miraculous things the Lord intends to do through us. It reminds us to be thankful for the gospel and faithful apostles like Paul, who modeled the powerful way a grateful heart overflowing with grace can be propelled through life in unbelievably powerful ways. So powerful we still embrace and learn from these witnesses today.
Additional Resources:
Moody Bible Commentary. Moody Publishers. Chicago. Copyright 2014.
