2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Treasures in Jars of Clay
1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness, "made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken. "With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
St. Paul teaches us different lessons in this epistle to the Corinthians...He writes that it is very difficult to teach the spiritually blind...God created the universe out of nothing, and He made Light shine out of darkness...Out of that darkness the Light that shines is now in our hearts, in a spirit, the Holy Spirit...This Spirit gives us and helps us recognize the glory of God, and help us put a face on Jesus...But the Spirit we have does not keep us from troubles and despair...
When we are in pain and in suffering, when we are hard pressed on every side, Jesus is with us...We carry around in our hearts, the life of Jesus...We remember His suffering and His death...Even though God gave us a mortal body that will age and die, He gave us a Spirit and a Light that is at work in us in the eternal soul that He gave us...We know that the One who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise us with Jesus, when the time is right...Therefore, during times of our sufferings, when we have times of despair and bad days, we are not alone...We should not lose heart...Jesus is with us...Jesus suffered for us...When we suffer, sacrifice, work hard, and still have difficulties, we understand that in the end -any success that we feel that is worthwhile -comes with sacrifice...We realize as we age, that there is no courage without danger...We learn that there is no Light without darkness...There is no eternal life, without a first death...Though outwardly we will grow old, tire, and age, we will be renewed by the Light and feel young inwardly by His Light...He makes the mind feel young and renewed...In fact, He makes all things new...Our pain and suffering, therefore, our troubles are only momentary, compared with what we will feel when we see the Light of Eternity...
If we always get what we want, no matter what it is, we have realized that we would never have a need...Always getting our way, keeps us from God...Troubles in this world are imperfect but only temporary...We know that through pain and suffering comes a need, a need for God...And without any needs, there is no reason for faith...Without faith, there is no need for God...We need God to help us live and age on earth...We need Him for our eternal life...When we get to heaven we will then realize, that what we can see on earth is only temporary, while what we cannot see is eternal...