《Treasure in Jars of Clay》~ ✨
The apostle Paul precisely articulates the purpose of God’s salvation for humanity in Ephesians 1:4-6: that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him; in love, He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely bestowed upon us in the Beloved.
So, how do we cause God’s glorious grace to be praised?
Paul continues (Ephesians 2:10): “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God wants us to do good works. Do good works include martyrdom?
In a Bible study sharing session, some said, “I don’t know”; some said, “I would”; and others said, “I have my own answer in my heart, but I won’t say it out loud,” and so on.
In 2 Corinthians Chapter 4, Paul clearly expresses his stance and uses it to encourage Christians. Paul was an apostle who progressed from persecuting Christians to being martyred for preaching the gospel. He fully and successfully enacted this spectacle for the world and for angels to see (1 Corinthians 4:9). I say he was completely successful because he was precisely the kind of person the Lord Jesus wanted—one who takes up his own cross and follows the Lord (Matthew 16:24).
“Taking up one’s own cross” means self-denial; the highest form of self-denial is laying down one’s own life. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” He also said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:13-14).
In other words, the Lord is also our friend. Can we love the Lord—our friend—to the extent of laying down our lives for Him?
If believers desire to follow Paul in following the Lord Jesus by laying down their lives for love, they must also have the courage to lay down their lives to act on it! The courage to lay down one’s own life comes from the courage of faith; the courage of faith comes from spiritual courage.
Paul records in 1 Corinthians 2:15: “The spiritual man makes judgements about all things.” In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Paul says: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
The perspective contained in these words can only be perceived by the spiritual person; because Paul speaks of these things not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Holy Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
I believe Paul’s meaning is not to belittle our daily, flesh-and-blood reality, but rather to add an eternal dimension to it. Only by viewing the visible world through the lens of eternity can we have sufficient faith and strength to face reality. That said, we may still feel fear or alarm, but we can cultivate courage born of faith through the encouragement of many faithful witnesses and personal experience.
Taking Paul as an example, he practiced what he preached. From the moment he was called by the Lord, he devoted himself completely to the work of the gospel. His account in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9—”We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”—demonstrates fearless, unwavering faith and courage. This came from the treasure contained within these jars of clay: that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
The spiritual person is the pure in heart. If we are spiritual, we see God and see the Lord Jesus whom we can wholly rely upon, as witnessed by the martyr Stephen. Before his death, Stephen saw heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! He did not flee the imminent stoning by the crowd. Gazing at the Lord Jesus, he asked the Lord to receive his spirit and not to hold this sin against his killers. In this state of peace, he fell asleep (Acts 7:56, 59-60). Stephen’s faith pushed his courage and strength to the highest point—the point where the Lord reached out to receive him into the Father’s house.
When our lives are threatened by death, or when we reach that most solemn moment, how do we face fearlessly the questioning of the Holy One who is unseen by physical eyes?
In this regard, Paul gives us relevant encouragement, recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:6-10: “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
People in this world all begin with birth and end with death or being taken by the Lord, but everyone’s outcome is not the same. When we seek grace, we come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). If the Lord calls us to hold steadfast to the way of truth, refusing to shrink back even in the face of danger or harm, will we also boldly accept this grace—the grace that is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison?
I conclude this sharing with this poem👇🏻
“I Am Yours” ✨
The cross brings righteousness, death exchanged for life. Having received the gospel, freedom is mine.
Singing its master theme, joy in sorrow, the bitter cup is drunk, then the cup of blessing comes.
Tasting the cup of blessing, walking the bitter road, the victor’s crown of joy lies in front.
The heart desires pleasure but hates suffering, changing the tune, altering the key, all for joy not pain.
Clinging to the flesh, forsaking faith, leads surely to ruin.
Repentance must come before the final note.
Beholding the Lord’s glory upon the throne, my strength and my hope is He.
Willing to follow the melody to the Lord’s table, so that in years to come I will not be put to shame.
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 