Jars of Clay

[Disclaimers--First, No, this post is not about "Jars of Clay" the band. Although their music is quite epic and I strongly suggest you listen to it :). Second, it was inspired by my LifeChange: 2 Tim. Bible study and the final quote is from my Life Application Bible :)]

“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble puposes and some ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes. Made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” ~ 2 Timothy 2: 20-21

We are jars of clay. Sinful and imperfect vessels. Yet the King of the Universe desires to use us for His purposes. Isn’t it awesome to think that Jesus can use our lives—and use them for something truly unbelievable, beyond ourselves?!

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As overjoyed as we should be to allow God to use us for his purposes, sometimes we nurture attitudes that stymie the work of God's grace in us. For example:

-Trying to be justified by the law (Galations 5:4). Aka self-righteousness….thinking ourselves or something other than God's saving grace can make us right in God’s sight.
-Timidity (Hebrews 4:6). Doubting God can work through us.
-Pride (1 Peter 5:5). Trying to do things our own way, instead of surrendering to His Spirit.

Yes, these attitudes seem self-centered, but also painfully familiar. I can make myself right. I don't think God can work through me. I can fix this better than God can.

But doesn't it seem like the only appropriate response to God’s working in us is the opposite of self-centerdness--humility? Shouldn’t the knowledge of His work in us bring us to our knees and make us say, “Do whatever you want in me and through me, Lord”? Yet, unfortunately, sometimes God-centeredness is oh-so-much harder than it sounds.  

Now, sometimes (or shall we say often?) I struggle with pride (see my post, A Color-Coded Life). And as much as I prefer to call it independence, or efficiency, or something to that effect, that's really quite inaccurately euphemistic. I try to do things on my own, convincing myself that my planning or organization or color-codedness will fix all my problems. Yet somehow that never really works for me. It's when I come to the end of myself and realize I do a sloppy job of making myself right and I surrender to Jesus that things really start changing. In fact, when I surrender things to Him, they start becoming really and truly beautiful and working out in ways beyond what I could have imagined. How awesome to think that when I surrender to Him, He can use me, this cracked and flawed jar of clay, for glorious purposes, too.

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7

As one of my all-time favorite verses (Ps. 18:35) says, "You stoop down to make me great!" How awesome is that?! The focus is not on the perishable container, but on its priceless contents.

 

You Take My Breath Away

Recently I was talking to a friend who grew up in a Christian family but had wandered down a very wrong path for several years. He said the reason he didn’t come back to God sooner was because he was afraid God wouldn’t forgive him for all the terrible things he’d done. But I love what he said about why he eventually returned to God: "I read that verse about God removing our sins from us as far as the east as from the west, and I realized, once you start going east, you just keep going! You never start going west. I realized God just loves me for me.” Our Savior loves us for us. How awesome is that?! His love is infinite, not dependedent on anything we've done or haven't done. The King of the universe looks at us and sees His beautiful creations, His children, His friends.

Sometimes I think, having grown up a Christian family and heard the doctrine of God’s love and forgiveness so often, I've lost a little bit of the absolute awe that His love should instill in me. His love is so much more than anything this world has to offer. His love should take my breath away, it is so incredibly, unimaginably beautiful that when God looks at me He sees His pure and spotless Son Jesus, not all the junk and sin in my life.

I want to have this love of Jesus. I want to look at people and not see their ourtward appearance or their accomplishments or their faults. I want to see a child infinitely loved by God.  

     I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway

  "You Love Me Anyway" Sidewalk Prophets (my all-time favorite song :)

Official "You are More" music video

Live Like That

Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I'm only just a memory
When I'm home where my soul belongs

Was I love
When no one else would show up
Was I Jesus to the least of those
Was my worship more than just a song

I want to live like that

Am I proof
That You are who you say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true

People pass
And even if they don't know my name
Is there evidence that I've been changed
When they see me, do they see You

I want to live like that

I want to show the world the love You gave for me
I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King

I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You

If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back

I want to live like that

~"Live Like That," Sidewalk Prophets

 I've always been ambitious. For as long as I can remember, I've been coming up with various business ventures (before I was ten I'd attempted to open a dog grooming shop, start an ice cream truck, and buy a patent for the vacuum cleaner), and I told my mom recently that I don't know what it feels like to be bored--she confirmed that even as a little girl I could always find something to do. Planning events, working to achieve academic success, trying to invent an instant-sunscreen machine--I am always aiming at something, for better or for worse.

I want to be this intense about my walk with Christ. I want to wake up every morning and say, "Okay, God, I know I'm alive today because You have a specific purpose for me, and I'm determined to fulfill it to the best of my abilities." Yet too often, I get so swept up in my own agenda and my own immediate results that I neglect the far greater purpose laid out for me. How incredible is it to know that the God of the Universe wants to use me today?! My day and my life should be centered on fulfilling the work He's laid out for me.

Recently I've been studying 2 Timothy with my Bible study group, and we learned that we must be prepared to preach the gospel "in season and out of season" (4:2). What a great reminder that we can serve God in any circumstance, day in and day out. After the newly saved Chuck Colson was sentenced to prison for his involvement in Watergate, he said, "What happened in court today was the court's will and the Lord's will--I have committed my life to Jesus Christ and I can work for Him in prison as well as out." After several months of seeing God work through him in prison, Colson prayed, "Lord, if this is what it is all about, then I thank You. I praise You for leaving me in prison, for letting them take away my license to practice law, yes--even for my son being arrested. I praise You for giving me Your love through these men, for being God, for just letting me walk with Jesus." This is surrender. Freedom in the midst of prison. Joy in the midst of pain. Realizing God can use you anywhere.

I want to live like that.