Earthen Vessel: Where Power is Stored and Made Perfect

blog.needsupply.com

As long as we remember ourselves as mere earthen vessels, and even cracked vessels, God's power in us remains tremendous. And by "earthen vessels" Paul did not mean being weak due to sin, as many suppose, but our being nothing, zero, pfft! without God in us--without being God's flesh. "God's flesh" was exactly what Paul had in mind when he talked about treasure in earthen vessels.

"Earthen vessels," that lowly, meek, and absolutely selfless regard for self (or better, zero ego), is what keeps everything excellent and purely the work of God (2 Cor.4). It's a life of denying self and picking up the Jesus cross--and this equals to tremendous power, more powerful than a hundred nuclear warheads! Thus, being earthen vessels does NOT mean we're "only humans and so susceptible to sin and errors and God understands this. Notwithstanding, He still considers us His children worthy of His Kingdom by grace through faith even if we deliberately live in sin." This is the modern faith creed that many "believers" today profess us a license to sin and make sinning convenient.

Many today take pride in their denominational churches. This is NOT being an earthen vessel filled with the Treasure. This is bragging about self efforts and accomplishments--achievements of the flesh. Being earthen vessels means we take boastful pride in nothing but Jesus, his Word, his power, his ministry, his true one spiritual church, and His accomplishments ALONE. Then his supernatural power resides in us, because it's no longer us who live but HIM. 

"Earthen vessels," according to Paul's letter, show our susceptibility to persecution and hardships for the Gospel, and yet we conquer them all through God's power and grace--and these alone. No human effort or strategy or achievement involved in this. Hence, "We are in terrible hardship every which way yet not crushed; we are stunned by the difficulties but never in despair; persecuted but never abandoned, struck down, but not demolished." God's supernatural power and grace alone can work this result.

Being "earthen vessels" means "always carrying in our bodies Jesus' death so that the true Jesus LIFE is gloriously manifested in the same." It's nothing but God's flesh on earth. And this is how real power is made perfect on earth. We should be pouring time and seriousness into this thing. We should be masters, even with "doctorate degrees," in being earthen vessels where the glorious Jesus LIFE manifests daily, each moment, in ever-increasing glory. 

And true eternal life, true salvation, is being an earthen vessel filled with the Treasure from heaven. "For we who have the LIFE are always given over to death for Jesus' sake (NOT death because of sin or a rotten spiritual life), that the Jesus LIFE may also be revealed in our mortal flesh (God's flesh)."

God's flesh is perfect because 100 percent of the Jesus LIFE is in it. A hundred percent of the Holy Spirit is in it! That's our goal--a goal already fitted in our lives through Jesus in us, and an aimed goal for ever-increasing dimensions.

So make sure you're indeed an earthen vessel filled with God's Treasure.