by Sandy Kirby Quandt

In the eighth chapter of Sheila Walsh’s book, Get Off Your Knees and Pray, there is one of the best explanations I’ve read, or heard, of the scripture in 2 Corinthians, where Paul says the people of God carry around Christ’s treasures in our common, everyday-variety, jars of clay bodies.

Questions Sheila said some people pose are: Why does God give more gifts to some believers than others? Why do some Christians have much easier lives than others? Why does God say yes to some people’s prayers, and no to others?

In the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25:14-30 about the master who went away and entrusted his servants with different responsibilities, the master did give more to some than to others. What matters to the master is what each servant did with their gift. Good stewardship is expected, regardless of the gift.

We are to bring everything we have been given as an offering to God. Undervaluing the gift God gives us because it isn’t as showy or in the public eye as someone else’s gift, misses the point…God gives us our specific gifts with us in mind.

Pilot is an artist. I am not. If we both received the same birthday present of art paper, one of us would use it as intended and showcase his talent and interest. The other would not use it for the purpose the paper was designed, instead, she would probably write on it.

For one, the gift would be used as the creator of the gift intended. For the other it would not.

When we give gifts to others don’t we try to give them something we believe they will enjoy?

God does the same. He created us. He knows what he put into us to enjoy. Those are the gifts he gives. We don’t need to receive one of the so-called showy gifts to prove God loves us.

We carry those treasures around in our unadorned jars of clay to show any good thing we are able to accomplish is from God, not from ourselves. We need not wish for the gifts God gives others. Instead we need to use what he gives us, and be glad.

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We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

I wish you well.

Sandy

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One of my posts will appear on Inspire a Fire today, August 4, 2015. Please stop by and check it out.