Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.
No, really, how was your day? Did you sleep through the alarm? Did you sleep enough or at all? Did you get behind Farmer Tom on the tractor going down Oak Grove Road on the way to wherever you were trying to hurry up and get? Did you spill your coffee on your lap? Did your sweet little Susie or Sam have the meltdown of the century right in the middle of the grocery store? How did your precious Doodle manage to pull every bit of the garbage out of the can and then make sure there was some in every room of the house?
Does this sound about right…like a domino effect? One little thing turns into an avalanche of problems, and you feel like you are the only one in human history to have been chosen to wade through the misery. Well, friend, let me go ahead and pop your bubble. That is the devil trying to steal your JOY; trying to take advantage of your weakness; trying to rob you of what God has ALREADY placed in your JAR of CLAY!
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
You know what the devil can do??? “He can go sit on a tack!” Do you know what you can do? Take a deep breath and remember whose you are. A child of the King.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
We keep going because “we’ve got the love of Jesus down in our heart.” Even when we are imperfect, we are loved. Sometimes we are tired, in a hurry, clumsy, at our wits' end, and just completely over all the mess, but He’s not done with us. He has given us gifts that fill our jar with love, patience, and His power. We can always turn to His word to find our way out of the messiness that we sometimes GET to walk through so that our jars are overflowing and we can SHARE ALL of HIS GOODNESS with others.
“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” (2 Corinthians 4:1)
Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
- SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
- OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
- APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
- PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.