Glory from Cracked Pots

Yesterday, I talked about the glory we possess at the point of salvation--something I'd missed understanding--and was waiting for.  II Corinthians 4 goes on to say that this glory is stored in earthen jars of clay.  That would be us.  I love how Patsy Clairmont used to call us all cracked pots.  We are!  We're living in a day when there's so much finger pointing, judgment, accusations, slurs, etc.  It seems we're constantly looking at one another with contempt and condemnation.  What we fail to realize is that we're all cracked pots!  None of us is perfect.  We've all walked through things which have broken us and yet God, in His mercy and grace, has tenderly put us back together.  He never expected us to be perfect!  But we are perfectly designed by Him.  Instead of focusing on our brokenness, we should be focused on the light, the glory, coming out of each other's cracked pots.  THAT'S the focus!  This glory is God's brilliant dwelling presence.  When we're pointing fingers and laughing at each other's flaws, we're totally missing the point.  And if all we can see about ourselves is our misshapened lives, we live in defeat.

But this glorious light, this visible dwelling presence of God....THIS GLORY....changes everything.  We should be looking at the brilliance of God displayed in one another.  How has God pieced your life back together to display His glory?  It's a beautiful revealing work of God.  And it's a different design than mine.  It's different than hers...and his.  We should be mesmerized by God's handiwork in one another's lives.  As the glory of God pours out of your cracked pot and my cracked pot, it should bring new life, new confidence--because it's no longer about us and our flaws--it's about the brilliant God who dwells within us!  It should point others to a God who can make all things new.  They should want what we have because it's made us glorious! It highlights our brokenness in a way that says, "God can make you beautiful, too!"   And instead of focusing on our flaws, we can boldly and courageously display the restorative work of God that is available to all mankind.

Look at God's GLORY--through ME--a cracked pot!

"But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us. We are cracked and chipped from our afflictions on all sides, but we are not crushed by them. We are bewildered at times, but we do not give in to despair. We are persecuted, but we have not been abandoned. We have been knocked down, but we are not destroyed. We always carry around in our bodies the reality of the brutal death and suffering of Jesus. As a result, His resurrection life rises and reveals its wondrous power in our bodies as well."

II Corinthians 4: 7-10