“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2 Corinhians 4:7-10)
We used to sing a song in the church based upon this verse. I think it was called “I’ve Traded My Sorrows”. It was a feel-good song, one of those songs that quickly became an ear worm (you couldn’t get it out of your head). We would sing it, clap along, and rejoice. I liked that song, but I never really dug into the words in these verses until this morning.
You see, I have this habit of staying up way too late when I don’t have to work the next day. I am a night person – always have been. Last night – for whatever reason – was one of those nights. I said I wanted to be in bed early because I was supposed to go to a meeting this morning at 0700. But I’m off work today, so I decided to sit in front of my computer and watch some entertaining videos. It quickly turned into an 0300 morning before I got to bed. Needless to say, I didn’t make the meeting. Why do I bring this up? Because sometimes we sabotage ourselves. I don’t think I’m alone in this issue. We have grandiose plans of things we want to accomplish, but then get involved in something that will short-circuit or totally cancel those plans. That begins a cycle of self-condemnation for being lazy, unproductive, etc. It’s not Satan’s fault, it’s my own.
Paul wrote in these verses that we carry about in us the Presence of God in our physical bodies so that He might get the glory for all we accomplish for the kingdom. I want to address a subject during our time together that is vital to the kingdom of God: self-care. This is especially important for our pastors, evangelists, and Chrisian workers that are in the limelight or in official positions of ministry, but it also applies to every one of us. Let me get really, really vulnerable with you for a few minutes if I may. You see, I am a former weight-lifter. For years I was in the gym 4-5 times a week working out, lifting heavy things, making myself into a bull. That was good for me. BUT, while I was doing that I was also taking “supplements” to help me bulk up even more – artificially. I never did the needle thing with the steroids, but I took everything known to man orally. That all stopped one day as I sat at the bedside of one of my workout buddies who lay dying. All of his internal organs were seeping blood because of all the chemicals he and I were taking and there was literally nothing the doctors could do to save him. I held his hand and sat with him until he died. How horrible! To think that the things we were taking and doing to make ourselves stronger were literally killing us silently! What a stark reminder that we are nothing but vessels of clay.
Our pastors are called (by the church members) to be on-call 24/7/365 with no breaks and no boundaries. They are to prepare three (sometimes more) messages fresh each week – messages that are new, transformational, and that will keep our interest. On top of that they are supposed to visit the sick and the shut-ins, perform weddings and funerals as needed, answer every phone call, email, text, whatever immediately. They often are the church janitor and maintenance person, grounds keeper, and anything else that pops up. From my own experience as a part-time pastor (bi-vocational) I know how harrowing it was for me, so I can only imagine it ratcheted up to full-time. Traveling evangelists, while they don’t necessarily have the work load of a local pastor, have their own set of standards and expectations. Being in the ministry is not just a 3-hour job that everyone sees, believe me.
By the same token, the Bible teaches us that we are ALL ministers of God. We are all on-call 24/7/365 for our friends, our families, our co-workers, and our communities. We are all expected to be ready at a moment’s notice (Paul called it being prepared in-season and out-of-season) to race to the bedside of a brother or sister in their hour of need. We are to always pray for our spiritual leaders, for our local/state/national/world leaders, for our loved ones, for any needs to come across our paths. We are to be ready at any time to open our wallets, our homes, and our hearts to those around us in need. We are to be walking, living, breathing testimonies to the goodness of God that the world may see and give Him glory. Even on days like today – when I feel like 10 tons of walking dumpster sludge. My body today feels like I’ve been drug behind a train for 100 miles and left for dead. But you know what?
I may be troubled on every side (believe me, Satan doesn’t let up because I had a bad night), yet the fullness of the Spirit of God within me helps me keep my shape. I am not crushed. I may be hurting physically and feel like I’m washed up but I am not without hope because I can and will do what I need to today through the power of Christ that lives within me. I will still face the evils of the world and go through situations that I may face today, but I will do it in the true Spirit of Christianity because He is with me. I may fail at some things today (that happens even on good days, but today it will seem larger than normal), but it will not destroy my spirit or totally ruin my attitude because the joy of the Lord is my strength. After all, when do I need to confess that the most if not for days when I feel weak. The Bible tells me to “let the weak say they are strong, let the poor say they are rich.” Today more than ever, may the light and love of Jesus shine through me because in my weakness He is made strong.
Maybe you, too, are having one of “those” days. Realize that how you and I feel today is how the worldly, unsaved people around us feel every day. They are the ones without hope, without resources, without the supernatural power of God in their lives. This is their normal. Let that be our mindset when we see a single mom struggling with three children in the store or the beggar sitting on the street corner asking for change. May we realize how blessed we truly are in Christ and may we, as Peter and John at the Temple steps, offer what we have out of our weakness. After all, it’s not our strength that heals, delivers, and saves anyhow – it’s all Jesus.
That’s my challenge to you (and to myself) today: Jesus let our eyes be opened today as never before to the plight of those around us who don’t know You. May our hearts be softened as we struggle against our own vessel of flesh to push through the pressures of life. And may that cause us to love as You love.
Be blessed.
Comments