2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

If you had extremely expensive jewelry or if you had something that was worth a ton of money, would you keep it in an ordinary jar? How about a jar made out of clay? Of course you wouldn't do that but would instead look for a nice strong safe or some other secure place to store your valuable items in. That's what most people would do...but not God. God has chosen to deposit His treasure in less than ordinary jars of clay. The treasure that He puts there is "the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

This treasure is the most precious and valuable treasure in the world. It is much more precious than gold or silver, or any other thing that we consider valuable in this world. In the parable of the man who found this treasure in a field (Matthew 13:44), it says that the man went out and sold EVERYTHING that he had to by the field so that the treasure would be his. That's why it is so amazing that God would entrust that treasure to clay jars. We are those clay jars (Isaiah 64:8) and we have the glorious privilege of containing the light of the glory of Jesus within our hearts. This light shines within us, driving out the darkness that was there before we received the light. This light shines on the path that we are to walk on that leads to eternal life. This is the light that the people of the world are looking for, even though they don't know it. They don't know that this is what has been missing in their lives.

This treasure is eternal and leads to eternal life to whoever finds it and makes it their own. What price can you put on eternal life and what price can you put on an intimate relationship with our Creator through the Lord Jesus Christ? That is why it is so amazing that the Lord would keep this treasure in jars of clay like us. And even more amazing is the fact that the more cracked and broken the clay jar is, the better it can hold the treasure. The more broken the clay jar is, the more the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ can shine through it. It is through those broken places and those cracked areas that the awesome light of Jesus shines brightly through. It is when we have faced the trials, tribulations and sufferings that produced the brokenness and have relied on the Lord Jesus to make it through that His amazing and life-giving light can shine through us unimpeded so that others may see it and become holders of that same treasure in their own jars of clay. It's not the way we would have thought to store this priceless treasure, but then again, God's ways are not our ways. Thank God that they are not, for then we would not have the glorious experience of holding the most valuable treasure that exists in the world in us, the broken but grateful jars of clay.

Pastor Joey Vazquez