we have this treasure in clay jars,
so that it may be made clear that
this extraordinary power belongs
to God and does not come from us
2 Corinthians 4:7
I have a friend who loves Westerns.
Any time he can turn on a DVD and ... watch Gary Cooper boldly face his fears at High Noon ... watch James Arness's Marshall Dillon through the trails of Gunsmoke ... watch Hoss and Little Joe ride the Ponderosa ... and watch John Wayne's True Grit.
That was the age when men were mountains. And yes, you can turn on the TV any time and find them. Ironically, however, this is the age when those men are gone. Dead.
Film is illusion. John Wayne still looks bigger than he did in real life. But as Paul says, we have this treasure in jars of clay. Any power that we have is temporary at best. And temporary power is, at best, temporary hope. If we cling to what we -- or any human being -- can do, it will eventually fade away.
And that's what Paul was telling the Corinthians. He was saying, "You may look at me like I have all this power. But friend, I'm just a clay pot. I'll eventually chip, crack, and crumble. The real power is in God. Turn to him."
If Paul was alive today, he'd probably say, "Turn off the old TV, and turn to God."
In Christ's Love,
a guy who liked
the old Wild, Wild West
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