Welcome to my new devotional blog! My prayer is that you will find encouragement and hope within the words and pictures that God lays on my heart to share here. Please feel free to leave comments. I welcome your feedback! This first devotional is an explanation of the title of my blog, As A Clay Jar. Enjoy, and God bless!
“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.”
Some of my closest friends gave me a new name… a Hebrew name, Meira. It means, “One who Illuminates.” Let me explain. These wonderful Christian women view me as the “Light” of the group. There are eight of us in this accountability group, and each has her own significant name, apart from her birth name. Some of the names are Ariel or “Lion of God,” Rafaela or “Healed by God”, Cherut or “Freedom”, and Liron or “My Song.”
These names are a reflection of how a Holy Creator designed us as uniquely as He did each snowflake that falls from the sky. The names also highlight our God-inspired strengths. They represent the holy piece of God that we carry around on display for others to see.
I love my name. It was given to me during a very dark time in my life. It was a reminder of God’s truth and His promises. I may be a fragile jar made of clay where life’s trials and struggles can crack my exterior and bring me to my knees. However, the Holy Spirit within me is a light that can shine forth through those cracks, spreading joy, hope, and truth.
My cracks won’t cause me to crumble. My difficult days won’t cause me death. Even more amazing than what the Lord does for my heart is how He can use my imperfections and struggles to minister to others. I can be sitting in my own dark cave, and I can still shine with His Light for those around me. I may be ripping at the seams, yet I can still provide to others that same joy, hope, and truth that the Lord provides for me.
That is the glory of it all. God is bigger than any of our cracks. He is bigger and better. His power is infinitely stronger than our flesh and the enemy’s tactics combined. As 2 Corinthians 4:7 states, “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.” That great treasure is God himself…. How does He shine through you? Is it through worship and praise? Is it through ministering to wounded hearts or breaking down walls? Perhaps it is through speaking like a Holy megaphone. For me, it is shining his Light into darkness, illuminating the path for others to see.
Prayer – Dear Lord, we whole-heartedly thank you for creating us to be delicate vessels that will never shatter as long as we have You. We praise you for every good and perfect gift you provide, despite our mistakes, weaknesses, and shortcomings. You are a great treasure! Thank you that even in darkness, you have and will continue to overcome! In Jesus’ Name, I pray. AMEN!
© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.
I am blessed to have you in my life. You have definitely been a light for me!
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