I could point to several reasons in my life why I am not qualified to serve God. Look at the terrible sin I’ve committed. Look at how I’ve hurt others. I don’t know enough, I’m not good enough, I’m weak, I’m useless, it’s too difficult for me… But did you read verse 7? “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” That’s right. God wants to use me to prove that he can do anything with and through anybody. He is that powerful. And I am that privileged.
We saw in chapter 3 that the glory of this new covenant is one that is revealed. God has called forth light from the darkness of my heart, so that I can walk as living proof of God’s power, and I can testify before others of God’s grace in my life in transforming me. If I keep silent, or live disobediently, I am covering up that light. But the work of concealing the gospel is at the very heart of what Satan does (verse 4)! And if we wear that veil, we join in Satan’s work and participate in his mission, for “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing” (verse 3). Why back down? Remember that comfort from chapter 1? The God of all comfort sustains me in every way as we have the life of Jesus in us (verses 8-10). Join me in seeking an eternal perspective and being overcome by the weight of God’s glory, because any suffering we face here won’t even register on the scale of God’s glory that will be revealed to us in heaven (verse 17).
Will you let God shine his light through you? My prayer is that people wouldn’t watch me and marvel over what I do, but they would see my life and say, “Wow! Only God could do something that amazing with someone like that.”