Cracked Pots

2 Corinthians 4:7-9
But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.
We are cracked and chipped from our afflictions on all sides, but we are not crushed by them. We are bewildered at times, but we do not give in to despair.
We are persecuted, but we have not been abandoned. We have been knocked down, but we are not destroyed.


It can sometimes feel like LIFE is beating you up.  I bet you've felt like this at least once lately.  It has nothing to do with age, gender, marital status, position or even attitude.  We are earthen vessels and sometimes the choices we make in life or the directions we take can leave something damaged.  We can become broken by life, cracked by circumstances.  But in the hands of a master gardener a cracked pot can spring forth in beauty.  

Consider a tulip bulb?  It is nothing when it's planted, ugly, plain and seemingly dead when th gardener puts if into an earthen vessel.  Many months of cold lifelessness and it shows no signs of the beauty within.  The vessel its in can be chipped and cracked by the weathering of time, of life.  Yet at just the right moment, after just the correct amount of time the bulb sprouts with new life and the true beauty within becomes evident to all who see it!  

In the hands of our God the Master gardener, we contain a beautiful treasure waiting to spring up out of cracked earthen vessels to reveal the treasure God has planted inside each of us.  

Maybe it's time for you to seek out the Master, ask him to stir up the treasure inside your earthen vessel.  Don't be ashamed of how much damage you see, don't let the shame of how badly you think things appear to others keep you from finding out what your treasure is.  Just seek God.  Just give the Gardener what you have.  Just trust Him to bring out the beautiful treasure and reveal His glory in your life.

If you don't know him it's as easy as ABC.

Admit ....... That you've sinned and need forgiveness

Believe ..... That Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sins to be forgiven.

Confess ...  Tell someone that you've asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour

Angry angry angry

     Anger.  How does allowing our flesh to get angry, hinder our Christian walk?  Is it ok for Christians to get angry and perhaps “get back at someone” for a wrongdoing?  The world says that if someone hurts us we have every right to retaliate and let him or her have what is coming to them.  What does the Bible say about anger?  Is it ok to get angry?  Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says about anger.
     There are several scriptures that address the issue of anger but Ephesians 4: 26-31 explains what is expected of us when we get angry.  "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
     According to this scripture are we to be condemned for getting angry?  Are we no longer a “Good Christian” if we let our flesh get angry?  The world would look at us and say there is no way we are Christians if we allow ourselves to get angry.  But the Bible says we are not to sin in our anger.  What does that look like?  What does that mean for us?  Yes we are going to get angry and upset with others.  Jesus got angry at the tax collectors in temple but we are not to sin in our anger.  Ecclesiastes 7:9 says “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”  We are not to go around just looking for something to fight and argue about.    If you find yourself in the heat of anger and seem to not be able to control your temper just do what God did in 2 Kings 17:18  “So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence”.

Remove yourself from the situation.  That is what the Bible says we are to do.