2 Corinthians 4:7-10 Jars of Clay
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 23, 2020 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
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; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
(Understanding the Text) What is “this treasure?” I think it is the verse before this: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The treasure is the knowledge of God’s glory that we see in Jesus. However, this divine knowledge is stuck inside our earthly bodies. On the outside, we are the same as everyone else. We get sick; we have doubts; we get tired; we’re clumsy; we get confused; we make mistakes. Paul says that this is actually a good situation because then when the divine power of God shines out through us, it is obvious that we are not the originators of this beauty. When we shine even though we have no charisma, it is because God’s love is shining out from us.
(Revelation of God) Paul says that we suffer afflictions of all kinds, but they cannot crush us. Why? Because God’s glory is living inside of us. Paul says that we are confused and faced with seemingly insurmountable problems without any answers that we can see, but we still have hope. Why? Because we have confidence in the God who is living inside of us that He can see the way clear. Paul says that others treat us badly for no good reason. He says that we are punished for doing righteous actions and believing truth, but we are not alone even when the world turns against us. Why? Because we see Jesus and know that He is with us. Paul says that even when we lose, we win. He says that when it looks like we are down and out and there is no way that we will succeed, we have already succeeded. Why? Because we know that we serve a God who knows the end from the beginning, who is good in every part of Himself, and who loves us and lives in us. We know that He will take care of us and turn everything bad into good in the end. Our bodies are full of death, but we also carry Jesus’ death in us, which will bring us life in the end, but more than that, Jesus’ life is in us now, transforming us so that we display His goodness to the world. Our minds of death are being changed even now into life.
Paul says that we are still earthly, but that we do not have to surrender to our weaknesses and the brokenness of the world. We have power living in us that gives us strength and healing. We are affected by the world. We are not somehow separated so that it does not affect us. However, because we know Jesus and we understand what goodness truly is, we can face all the problems that come at us in the power of knowing Jesus. We are still part of this world, but this world cannot crush us as it has done to so many other people, not because we are strong, but because we depend on the strength of God to heal us and empower us and hold us steady. God is with us.
(Application / Prayer) My application is that I feel crushed by the world right now, but I claim this promise that I can depend on You to heal me and empower me and hold me steady. Be with me in all that I do and heal me.